Editor's note: ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach will check in frequently with updates from the Athens (Ga.) Regional. For live scores throughout the NCAA tournament, click here.
Georgia 8, Georgia Tech 0
ATHENS, Ga. -- Georgia Tech coach Danny Hall still believes his Yellow Jackets can win the Athens Regional of the NCAA baseball tournament -- as long as Georgia's Nick Montgomery isn't pitching against them in Monday night's championship game at Foley Field.
Montgomery, a seldom-used senior from Marietta, Ga., fired a four-hit shutout to beat the Yellow Jackets 8-0 in front of a sold-out crowd of 2,929 fans at Foley Field on Sunday night.
Georgia's third victory in a row -- and second of the day -- forced a winner-takes-all title game Monday night. The winner advances to the NCAA super regional round next weekend.
The Bulldogs, the national No. 8 seed, have all the momentum now. After losing to regional 4-seed Lipscomb 10-7 in the opening round Friday, Georgia has scored 31 runs with 51 hits in its last three games.
And Sunday night, Georgia got a pitching performance for the ages from Montgomery. The Bulldogs shut out their in-state rivals for the first time since 1969 -- a span of 126 games in between shutouts. It was the first the Yellow Jackets had been held scoreless in an NCAA tournament game since a 5-0 loss to South Carolina in a 1988 regional (79 games ago).
"I just hope Nick Montgomery can't pitch against us tomorrow," Hall joked. "He's pitched against us twice and we wouldn't do anything against him."
Montgomery was plagued by arm problems after transferring to Georgia in 2005 from Young Harris, a two-year junior college in the north Georgia mountains. In his final season at Young Harris, Montgomery could only bat because of an arm injury. He redshirted at Georgia during the 2006 season after undergoing elbow surgery, then missed all but eight games last year because of a blood clot in his throwing arm.
Montgomery didn't even make his first start at Georgia until May 13, when he beat the Yellow Jackets 3-2 in front of a crowd of 22,599 fans at Atlanta's Turner Field.
"I can't really explain this game," said Montgomery, who had nine strikeouts on Sunday and retired 17 batters in a row until left fielder Charlie Blackmon singled with one out in the ninth. "They have a bunch of good hitters and a good lineup."
Georgia Tech has a really good lineup this season, hitting 92 homers, including 45 in its last 22 games before the NCAA tournament.
"He was just ahead of everybody with his fastball and his changeup was unbelievable," Georgia catcher Bryce Massanari said. "He spotted up his curveball and it made his fastball that much better."
Montgomery received plenty of help from the guys behind him. Right fielder Matt Olson, center fielder Matt Cerione and first baseman Rich Poythress each hit two-run homers for the Bulldogs.
"I think what helped Nick was some timely hitting and home runs," Georgia coach David Perno said. "Nick, more than anybody else, knows how to defend the scoreboard."
Perno said he didn't really consider taking Montgomery out before the ninth, even with All-America closer Joshua Fields waiting in the bullpen.
"Everybody was saying, 'Don't go to that bullpen,'" Perno said. "He wanted it and everybody wanted him to stay out there."
• Georgia's win was the latest thrill for Massanari, whose first daughter, Marley, was born April 30. His wife, the former Lauren Scyphers, was Miss Nevada in 2006. She has a cameo role in the new film, "Iron Man" and is a fashion model. The couple met while attending junior college in Las Vegas.
"I told [Montgomery] I didn't want him to come out of the game," Massanari said. "I told him that after it was over, I was going to go out there and give him a big hug and tell him it was the best game I'd ever caught."