OMAHA — Fresno State Bulldogs fans have been wearing their “Underdog to Wonderdog” T-shirts around Rosen-blatt Stadium for days.
They just might get a chance to order some national championship shirts pretty soon.
Fresno State’s improbable postseason run will continue with the College World Series championship round after Tommy Mendonca drove in four runs and Clayton Allison overcame a shoulder ailment to shut down North Carolina 6-1 on Sunday night.
“If you look where we started out,” closer Brandon Burke said, “where we’re at now is inconceivable.”
A Fresno State team (45-30) that became the first No. 4 regional seed to reach the CWS now finds itself matched against Georgia (44-23-1) in the best-of-three, all-Bulldogs championship series starting today.
North Carolina (54-14), the No. 2 national seed and CWS runner-up the past two years, was denied a third straight appearance in the finals.
“Fresno, they’ve got to put the underdog card down,” Georgia coach David Perno said. “It isn’t going to fly with us. They’re a real good baseball team.”
Fresno State coach Mike Batesole has used underdog talk to motivate his players throughout the postseason, and he doesn’t plan to stop now against Georgia.
Georgia is the first team to bounce back from a losing season to reach the CWS finals the following year.
Neither has an overly impressive record, and no team with more than 23 losses has ever won a national title.
Fresno State’s journey has been anything but smooth. It has made it through the postseason without ace Tanner Scheppers, a second-round pick by Pittsburgh who is out with a slight rotator cuff tear.
North Carolina used seven pitchers in all, including Alex White, who was making his fourth appearance.
“We probably asked a little too much out of those guys,” Tar Heels coach Mike Fox said.
Allison (4-5), out since the second game of the super regionals because of tendinitis in his right (throwing) shoulder, allowed only Dustin Ackley’s double to start the game and five singles. The only run against him came when he issued a bases-loaded walk in the fourth. He struck out six and walked three.
“It was a gutsy performance when we needed one the most,” Batesole said. “That was a mental win.”
