Lsu Eliminates Stanford

College World Series

Defending champion Louisiana State rode two homers by Mike Koerner on Wednesday to a 13-9 victory over Stanford for a spot in the championship game of the College World Series.

Koerner connected in the fifth and seventh innings for two-run homers.

LSU (56-13) will face the winner of today’s lower-bracket championship game between Alabama (54-13) and Miami (51-16). An Alabama win would force an extra playoff game Friday between the Crimson Tide and the Hurricanes.

If Miami wins the other bracket, it would set up a rematch of last year’s championship game, which the Tigers won on a two-out, bottom-of-the-ninth home run.

LSU now has eight homers in three games in this series and has upped its NCAA-record total to 186.

LSU beat Stanford (45-20) despite a Cardinal rally led by Josh Hochgesang’s fifth-inning grand slam and his two RBIs in the seventh.

Tony Schrager and Jay Pecci added RBIs in the ninth and Stanford loaded the bases. But Patrick Coogan earned his third save of the year as he struck out pinch hitter Chris Clark.