BASEBALL / COLLEGE WORLD SERIES : Stanford Gets a Call and Wins, 5-4

The home run that wasn’t was one of several missed opportunities that hurt Georgia Southern and helped make Stanford a winner in the opening game of the College World Series.

Jeff Hammonds’ sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 10th inning tied the game and Troy Paulsen’s single won it, 5-4, for Stanford, which survived in large part because of six Georgia Southern errors and a key umpire’s call.

A long drive by Georgia Southern catcher Rob Fitzpatrick, who has hit 21 home runs, was ruled to have hit the lower interior fence in left-center field--rather than a higher exterior fence--negating a two-run homer.

“When the ball was hit, I went out to rule it,” third base umpire Randy Christal said. “I followed the trajectory of the ball but then lost it in the white background of the outfield fence signs. Without a good look at the finish, I based part of the call on the reaction of the center fielder.”

Hammonds, the Cardinal center fielder, said he didn’t see the ball, and neither did Stanford Coach Mark Marquess.

“I couldn’t tell,” Marquess said. “If it did hit the second fence, then it was a home run. But, like I said, I couldn’t tell.”

Todd Greene, who tagged up on the play and managed to reach only third base, was out at the plate when Mike Yuro missed a bunt on a squeeze play. Jeff Miller then struck out to end the inning.

Stanford (57-10) starter Stan Spencer struck out 12 in nine innings and didn’t walk a batter. He yielded eight hits. The junior right-hander has 145 strikeouts in 131 2/3 innings this season.

Paulsen’s single, only the eighth Cardinal hit, made a loser of sophomore right-hander Joey Hamilton for the fourth time this season. Hamilton leads the nation with 18 victories. Brian Sackinsky (9-1), who gave up an unearned in the top of the inning, got the victory.

Georgia Southern (50-18) had taken a 4-3 lead when Fitzpatrick singled home Doug Eder in the top of the 10th.

Roger Burnett singled to lead off the Stanford 10th. He moved to third on Hamilton’s wild throw to second on a sacrifice bunt by Troy Tallman, and scored on Hammond’s fly to right. Paulsen’s single drove in Tallman, who had taken second on Hamilton’s error.

Georgia 3, Mississippi State 0--Dave Fleming pitched a four-hitter in shutting out the Tigers for the second time this season in the other first-round game.

The shutout, the first in the Series since Florida State’s Chris Pollack beat Arizona State, 3-0, in 1987, moved the Bulldogs (49-18) into a second-round game Sunday against Stanford. Mississippi State (49-20) faces Georgia Southern in an elimination game on Sunday.

Fleming (12-5) faced one batter over the minimum through seven innings. An error in the eighth and a two-out single in the ninth gave the Tigers their other baserunners.