A final dogfight for Fresno State

'Dogs win rematch with Tar Heels, extending their first-of-its-kind journey into the World Series finals vs. Georgia's Bulldogs.

Published online on Wednesday, Jun. 25, 2008

OMAHA, Neb. - The pumped fists were held high in the air for all to see.

Inning by inning and again after big plays, Fresno State players and coaches made the motion, their hands clenched then thrust toward one another until their final pumped fists were directed to the crowd.

In the middle of the postgame commotion and the flashing lights -- after Fresno State had defeated North Carolina 6-1 on Sunday in the College World Series -- Fresno State coach Mike Batesole directed his own fist pump at a screaming fan.

"You did it," the fan decked out in Fresno State apparel yelled at Batesole from the stands. "You got us to a championship. Keep shocking 'em."

Batesole didn't say anything. Instead he just held his clenched hand a little higher and a little longer until releasing a brief grin.

It was understood.

Fresno State continues to go where no other Bulldogs team could ever reach.

Celebration just as the game ends

But one last run still remains.

Unseeded Fresno State (45-30) will now play No. 8 Georgia (44-23-1) in a best-of-three series, with a national championship at stake. The first game is at 4 p.m. today.

"We didn't get here from playing bad baseball," Fresno State first baseman Alan Ahmady said. "We really earned it. We've picked each other up throughout the whole postseason.

"We might be the underdog. We might not have pretty stats or a pretty record. But we're still playing and that's all that matters."

The Bulldogs survived their fourth elimination game of the NCAA Tournament, continuing a surprising and historical run.

No regional No. 4 seed has thrived in the postseason like Fresno State has done, its most recent accomplishment being a second win against No. 2 national seed North Carolina.

Now the Bulldogs are trying to win their first national title in school history.

Batesole, however, said he did not know yet who'd start today.

After all, he had to turn to a previously injured pitcher just to get through Sunday. Clayton Allison returned to the mound for the first time in two weeks after dealing with shoulder tendinitis.

The 6-foot-5 righty adjusted his pitching to accommodate for his inability to throw at full strength. He threw mostly offspeed pitches and always aimed low in the zone, which translated into eight groundouts, four pop flies, and not a single solid hit by North Carolina.

Allison struck out six in lasting a surprising but much-needed six innings, scattering six hits and three walks for one run.

"We really didn't know what to expect or what we were going to get from him, not having thrown in two weeks or at 100%," Bulldogs closer Brandon Burke said of Allison. "For him to go out and throw six innings, that set the tone that we had a chance.

"It's one of the most gutsiest things I've seen on a baseball field."

Between each half inning, Allison repeated his throwing motion in the dugout for pitching coach Mike Mayne, working on his mechanics and making sure he wouldn't experience pain.

Allison was already upset that he came to the CWS injured and couldn't play. His primary objective Sunday was to last long enough so the Bulldogs could turn to their frontline relievers in Holden Sprague, then Burke.

"This is the College World Series," Allison said. "This is what it's all about. This is Omaha, Nebraska, and this is how memories are made.

"It would have been extremely frustrating to not get a chance to play."

While Allison's performance was somewhat unexpected, the Bulldogs had come to rely on steady and clean defense to get them through the line-driving hitting UNC squad.