Florida State’s Big Rally Earns a Win, Rematch With Stanford

Sam Scott delivered at the plate and Zach Diaz did it on the mound.

Scott’s towering two-run homer capped Florida State’s four-run sixth inning Thursday night and the Seminoles rallied to beat Stanford, 8-6, in the College World Series at Omaha.

The Seminoles (56-13) forced a rematch today with the Cardinal (50-14). Both teams have one loss in the double-elimination bracket, and the winner will play Miami in Saturday’s championship game.

Stanford brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth.

After reliever Diaz (4-1) walked leadoff batter John Gall, Joe Borchard fouled out and Josh Hochgesang popped out to first. Damien Alvarado then grounded to second for the force.

Diaz faced 14 batters in 4 1/3 innings. Although he had only one strikeout, he threw effectively and retired six in a row at one point.

“I’d like to say I was getting ahead early, but that didn’t happen a lot of the time,” he said. “I was just trying to throw a lot of fastballs. Fortunately when they did hit it hard, it was at someone.”

Florida State came back from a 6-2 deficit, tying the score on Scott’s shot into the right-field bleachers.

“I was just looking for something,” Scott said. “I wanted to hit the ball hard and just get it up in the air.”

Said Florida State Coach Mike Martin: “Gosh, we’re one game from playing for the whole enchilada. So yes, I think we were a little bit moody when we were down four runs.”

Before that, the Seminoles struggled to find their offense, going hitless in 10 at-bats with runners in scoring position.

Stanford reliever Mike Wodnicki replaced right-hander Brian Sager with runners on first and second and no outs in the sixth. Marshall McDougall welcomed him with a double off the wall in center to score the inning’s first two runs.

Pinch-hitter Karl Jernigan put the Seminoles ahead for good in the seventh. With no outs and runners on first and second, he hit into a double play that brought in Brett Groves, who led off with a double to left.

Dan Rich (3-1) took the loss.

Miami 5, Alabama 2--Lale Esquivel made sure Hurricane Coach Jim Morris would have another shot at a national title.

Esquivel doubled off the center-field wall in the fifth, driving in two runs for the Hurricanes. The victory gave the top-seeded Hurricanes (49-13) a berth in Saturday’s championship game. Alabama (53-16) was eliminated.

Miami returned to the title game for the first time since 1996, when Louisiana State’s Warren Morris hit a two-out homer in the ninth to deny the Hurricanes, who are seeking their first title since 1985.

Closer Michael Neu started the eighth for the Hurricanes. He gave up a leadoff single by Jeremy Brown in the bottom of the ninth.

Neu got Kelley Gulledge and Brent Boyd on strikes, then walked Antonio Bostic before Derek Wigginton grounded into a force at second. Shortstop Bobby Hill fielded it and stepped on the bag ahead of Bostic, and Neu had his 15th save.

Right-hander Darryl Roque (5-1) got the victory. Jonathan Blankenship (10-3) took the loss.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

College World Series

TODAY

* Game 13--Stanford vs. Florida State, 12:30 p.m.

SATURDAY

* Game 14--Miami (49-13) vs. Stanford-Florida State winner, 9:30 a.m.