June 15, 2008

Peisel celebrates in Omaha

Four RBI on 22nd birthday help Georgia defeat Miami

By Ben Trittipoe

CollegeBaseballInsider.com

OMAHA, Neb. – Georgia third baseman Ryan Peisel earned a special birthday present Saturday night – a victory by the Bulldogs in the 2008 College World Series.

On the day Peisel turned 22 years old, Georgia came from behind three times to defeat Miami, 7-4, in Game 2 at Rosenblatt Stadium.

Peisel celebrated by going 3 for 5 at the plate with four runs batted in – the type of night for the senior that was hardly surprising to Bulldogs head coach David Perno.

“This was nothing new for Ryan,” Perno said. “He’s a staple in our program, our heart and soul, and he played like it today.”

Peisel’s RBI-single in the top of the third inning tied the score at 1-1, and his 11th home run, a two-run blast, in the sixth brought Georgia even at 3-3. His final hit of the night, a run-scoring single in the ninth, capped a four-run inning that brought the Bulldogs from behind once again and helped lift them to victory, easing the pain of going 0-2 in the 2006 CWS.

“Coming into this game, I talked with [fellow senior Matt] Olson about ’06,” Peisel said. “I told him we just had to lay it out there and not do anything special. I guess I kind of got lucky. I don’t know if it was the birthday gods or what, but I’ll take it.”

Peisel noted that the victory was even sweeter since it came over Miami, the No. 1 national seed.

“This is one of the best wins I’ve been a part of,” he said. “We battled all night, and we’ve been doing that all year. For this team, it’s never over until the last out is recorded.

“We have to tip our hats to Miami. They were all we expected, and maybe a little bit more. But just to get this first win under our belt, this is huge for us.”

Happy birthday, Ryan!