Surprising Fresno State keeps winning at College World Series

OMAHA, Neb. -- Alan Ahmady hit the go-ahead single in the fifth inning, five Fresno State pitchers combined to hold North Carolina scoreless for all but one inning, and the upstart Bulldogs continued to surprise Tuesday night with a 5-3 victory in the College World Series.

The Bulldogs, the first No. 4 regional seed to reach the CWS, have won two straight in Omaha to take control of Bracket 2.

Carolina, the No. 2 national seed, will meet LSU in an elimination game Thursday, with the winner facing Fresno on Friday.

LSU 6, Rice 5: Blake Dean hit a 3-run double off the left-field wall in the bottom of the ninth inning to keep LSU alive in the College World Series.

Dean drove Cole St. Clair's 1-0 pitch on a line to the fence, and he was mobbed by teammates shortly after he arrived at second base. The celebration was the culmination of LSU's rally from a 5-0 deficit.

The Tigers had scored a run in the seventh and eighth innings to pull to 5-2 against St. Clair. In the ninth, Michael Hollander hit an RBI single before Jared Mitchell reached on an error to load the bases.

Dean then delivered the biggest hit.

LSU (49-1-1) plays Thursday against North Carolina. Rice ends its season at 47-15.