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11-Run 9th Lifts Stanford Past FSU

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By BRIAN CHRISTOPHERSON

Tribune correspondent

Published: June 15, 2008

OMAHA, Neb. - Give the man credit. Mike Martin still had his sense of humor late Saturday afternoon, even after witnessing a ninth inning that should make a coach cry.

"You ever three-putted from 8 feet away with two bucks in your pocket and you're playing for a $3 bet?" the Florida State baseball coach asked. "That's about the way I feel right now."

Actually, it's a fair guess he probably felt worse than that after watching his club fall in the opening act of the College World Series by giving up 11 runs in the final inning of a 16-5 loss to Stanford.

Quite the shot to the gut considering FSU (54-13) had tied the game in the bottom of the eighth on a three-run homer by Jason Stidham.

"And then," as Martin put it, "the wheels came off."

Certainly Stanford (40-22-2) pounded Florida State pitching in the ninth, but the Cardinal also benefited greatly from an error by FSU shortstop Tony Delmonico.

Score tied, runners on first and second and nobody out, Stanford's Jason Castro hit a ball hard, but right at Delmonico and it looked like a tailor-made double play. But the shortstop bobbled it, the play ending with all runners safe.

The next batter, Brent Milleville, flied to center, which would have been the third out with no runs scoring had Delmonico turned two.

Instead, it brought in the runner from third and was just the start of the pain for FSU. Fourteen Stanford players batted before it was done.

The 11 ninth-inning runs tied a CWS record for most scored in one inning. It was especially a mess for Delmonico, who had a second error in the inning.

"This game will humble you, obviously," Martin said. "It's just one of those things that, unfortunately it wasn't our day."

FSU will try to stave off elimination at 2 p.m. Monday against Miami. Stanford faces Georgia on Monday at 7 p.m.

Georgia Stuns UM, 7-4

OMAHA, Neb. - Georgia scored four runs in the ninth inning - two on Miami closer Carlos Gutierrez's throwing error - and the Bulldogs (42-23-1) came from behind for a 7-4 victory against the top-seeded Hurricanes (52-10).

Gutierrez came on to start the ninth to protect Miami's one-run lead. He couldn't do it, and Miami lost for the first time in 46 games in which it led after eight innings.

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