No monkeying around: One win from finals

OMAHA, NEB. » Go bananas, Mississippi State Bulldogs! You’re one win away from the College World Series finals.

Jordan Westburg hit a grand slam, doubled and drove in seven runs and Mississippi State continued its surprise postseason surge by beating North Carolina 12-2 on Tuesday.

The Bulldogs (39-27), with two wins at the CWS, are off until Friday. Win then or on Saturday, and they’ll be playing for the national championship next week.

This game was all about Westburg, the freshman who two weeks ago came up with the “Rally Banana” that’s become the Bull- dogs’ good-luck charm in the NCAA Tournament. His seven RBIs, on the slam in the second inning and three-run double in the eighth, tied a CWS record.

“I think we had a good banana today. That’s all I can say,” Westburg deadpanned.

Westburg crushed a breaking pitch Austin Bergner left hanging, and the ball landed in the seats above the left-field bullpen for a 4-1 lead.

When Westburg returned to the dugout, a teammate handed him his Rally Banana.

Westburg came up with the Bulldogs’ alternate mascot during a regional game against Oklahoma on June 3. The Bulldogs were struggling when he went into the tunnel and grabbed a banana. Instead of eating it, he put it on his head in hopes of turning the Bulldogs’ luck. It must have worked. Mississippi State won, Westburg and his banana got some TV time, and the meme took off.

Since then, Westburg has been the curator of the fruit. (No, it’s not the same banana every game.)

Florida 6, Texas 1.

OMAHA » Jackson Kowar struck out a career-high 13 in 6 M innings, Jonathan India hit a three-run homer and defending national champion Florida eliminated Texas from the College World Series with a 6-1 win on Tuesday.

Kowar (10-5) held the Longhorns scoreless on five hits.