COLLEGE WORLD SERIES : Georgia Gets Its First National Title

Georgia Coach Steve Webber had a surprise for Oklahoma State in the College World Series title game Saturday.

Freshman Stan Payne, an unexpected starter, and ace Dave Fleming combined to restrict the Cowboys to five hits, leading Georgia to a 2-1 victory for its first national championship.

The loss made the Cowboys a loser in the title game for a record fifth time.

The game at Rosenblatt Stadium drew 16,482, a record for the title game. The previous mark was 16,071 in 1988.

“Nobody gave us a chance,” said Georgia catcher Terry Childers, who had two of the Bulldogs’ six hits. “I think it helped us relax. We were loose. Once we got the lead our confidence seemed to soar. Stan had a great breaking ball.”

The Bulldogs (52-19) became the first team from Georgia or the Southeastern Conference to win the College World Series. Two SEC teams--Alabama in 1983 and Tennessee in 1951--lost in the finals.

Oklahoma State (56-17) entered the championship game having outscored its opponents, 35-8, in three College World Series victories. The Cowboys were hitting .390.

“Oklahoma State is a great team, as you saw through the first few games of the series, but we were just fortunate enough today to have two great pitchers and stopped their hitters,” Webber said.

Payne (7-1), a left-hander, limited the Cowboys to four hits in six innings. Fleming gave up one hit over the final three innings, dropping Oklahoma State’s batting average to .349, still a tournament record. The previous record was .347 by Arizona State’s 1977 national champions.

The Bulldogs loaded the bases with none out in the fourth inning when Jeff Cooper walked, J.R. Showalter blooped a single to right-center and Brian Jester was hit by a Dennis Burbank pitch. Bruce Chick’s sacrifice fly drove in Cooper, but Burbank (10-2) struck out Doug Radziewicz and got Ray Suplee to ground out.

Georgia scored what turned out to be the winning run in the fifth inning when Childers singled and went to third base on McKay Smith’s double. Cooper’s single drove in Childers.

Oklahoma State scored its only run in the sixth when Mitchel Simons and Brad Beanblossom singled and Michael Daniel hit a sacrifice fly.

The Cowboys also lost in the 1961, 1966, 1981 and 1987 title games. They won their only championship in 1959.