Baseball Super Regional: NC State punches ticket to CWS with 8-5 win over Georgia

Eli Serrano III cracks a leadoff home run to give the Wolfpack a 5-2 lead in the top of the sixth. It's a huge moment as every run is precious at this point.

After NC State stranded runners on the corners with just one out in the top of the fifth inning, the Wolfpack got out of a major pickle in the bottom of the inning.

Georgia loaded the bases with one out and the crowd roaring.

Jacob Dudan came in to pitch in relief of Logan Whitaker and got a strike out and a grounder to second to get State out of the jam and quiet the crowd.

Still 4-2 Wolfpack.

NC State and Georgia are battling in Athens with a trip to Omaha on the line.

In a game that so far doesn't resemble anything like the first two, NC State leads 4-2 through four innings.

In Game 1, the Wolfpack blasted the Bulldogs 18-1 on Saturday. But the Dawgs got payback Sunday, whipping NC State 11-2 in the Athens Super Regional.

Monday night's game has been a different story. Georgia jumped out to an early 2-0 lead but the Pack 9 rallied for two runs in the third and two more in the fourth.

Freshman Tre Phelps drove in four runs, Leighton Finley took a shutout into the seventh inning and Georgia got even with NC State, defeating the Wolfpack 11-2 at the Athens Super Regional on Sunday.

After NC State's stunning 18-1 victory on Saturday, the Bulldogs (43-16) bounced back and tied the best-of-three series at a game apiece. Game 3 will take place on Monday, with the winner advancing to the College World Series.

In Game 2, Slate Alford hit a two-run home run in the first inning and Phelps went deep over the batter's eye in center field for three runs in the third. Phelps picked up another RBI when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded during Georgia's three-run fourth inning. Earlier in the fourth, Kolby Branch doubled for one run and Corey Collins had an RBI-groundout.

Paul Toetz homered in the sixth, Fernando Gonzalez added an RBI-single in the seventh and Collins belted a solo home run in the eighth for the Bulldogs.

Finley scattered five hits through the first six innings but got into trouble in the seventh when he allowed two singles, an RBI groundout, and another single. Brian Zendin entered with two out and two men on base but induced a popup to get out of the jam.

Finley (6-1) went 6 2/3 innings on the mound, allowing one run and eight hits. Zendin finished, allowing only Jacob Cozart's eighth-inning home run.

Dominic Fritton (3-6) took the loss after giving up seven runs and seven hits in three-plus innings for the Wolfpack (37-21).