TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — On the mound, at the plate and in the field, Ohio State made all the timely plays Sunday, eliminating Georgia 13-6 in the Tallahassee NCAA Regional.
The third-seeded Buckeyes (42-18) got a pair of home runs from Michael Stephens, including a three-run blast that highlighted a game-breaking, six-run, seventh inning. The Buckeyes earned a spot in the late game against unbeaten Florida State for the regional title.
Ohio State closer Jake Hale came on for Drew Rucinski in the seventh to preserve a 7-5 lead. Hale struck out Georgia slugger Rich Poythress with runners at first and third and got a groundout to escape the jam.
"We had our guy up with runners on the corners and their guy, Jake Hale, did a better job," Georgia coach Dave Perno said. "When he struck Poythress out, I thought the game switched at that time. Youve got to win those types of moments in these kind of games and we didnt do that."
Hale struck out six in a season-high 2 2/3 innings for his 18th save, while Rucinski (12-2) picked up the victory, all of which have come in relief.
Zach Cone homered in his first two at-bats as the second-seeded Bulldogs (38-24), who played for the 2008 College World Series championship, built a 5-0 lead that they could not hold.
"When it came time to play the short game and do the little things to give us a chance to keep putting pressure on them, we were able to do it and they couldnt handle the pressure," Buckeyes coach Bob Todd said.
Ohio State scored three in the home second and pulled even in the third when Stephens legged out an inside-the-park home run and Justin Miller scored on a two-out throwing error. The Buckeyes took the lead for good in the fourth as Dan Burkhart and Ryan Dew drove in runs for a 7-5 lead following a one-out error.
"We just didnt pitch well and we didnt play good defense," Perno said.
The third-seeded Buckeyes (42-18) got a pair of home runs from Michael Stephens, including a three-run blast that highlighted a game-breaking, six-run, seventh inning. The Buckeyes earned a spot in the late game against unbeaten Florida State for the regional title.
Ohio State closer Jake Hale came on for Drew Rucinski in the seventh to preserve a 7-5 lead. Hale struck out Georgia slugger Rich Poythress with runners at first and third and got a groundout to escape the jam.
"We had our guy up with runners on the corners and their guy, Jake Hale, did a better job," Georgia coach Dave Perno said. "When he struck Poythress out, I thought the game switched at that time. Youve got to win those types of moments in these kind of games and we didnt do that."
Hale struck out six in a season-high 2 2/3 innings for his 18th save, while Rucinski (12-2) picked up the victory, all of which have come in relief.
Zach Cone homered in his first two at-bats as the second-seeded Bulldogs (38-24), who played for the 2008 College World Series championship, built a 5-0 lead that they could not hold.
"When it came time to play the short game and do the little things to give us a chance to keep putting pressure on them, we were able to do it and they couldnt handle the pressure," Buckeyes coach Bob Todd said.
Ohio State scored three in the home second and pulled even in the third when Stephens legged out an inside-the-park home run and Justin Miller scored on a two-out throwing error. The Buckeyes took the lead for good in the fourth as Dan Burkhart and Ryan Dew drove in runs for a 7-5 lead following a one-out error.
"We just didnt pitch well and we didnt play good defense," Perno said.