OMAHA, Neb. – This game was over before it even began.

It was over after the 19-10 shellacking the Wonderdogs of Fresno State put upon its canine brethren Tuesday night at Rosenblatt Stadium.

While Fresno’s Victor E. Bulldog held his nose high to earn the “Best in Show” in Omaha’s version of the Westminster Dog Show, Georgia’s Uga fell asleep.

The Diamond Dogs had all the momentum following their come-from-behind win on Monday and quickly jumped out to a 5-0 lead heading into the bottom of the third on Tuesday.

But the Georgia pitching staff fell apart, allowing 15 runs and 27 batters to come to the plate in what essentially was the beginning of the end for Georgia.

This team let one get away, they had the chance to solidify themselves as the greatest team in the history of Georgia baseball. They had the chance to cement themselves in the history books as the one thing all collegiate players long to hear: National Champions.

But they choked. They went from top-of-the-world to the bottom-of-the-barrel. From the prince to the pauper.

History always remembers the champions, not the team that finished second. However, history will remember Georgia because they lost to the biggest underdog ever to win a championship.

After Tuesday night they said all the right things. That they didn’t let up and that they didn’t underestimate Fresno.

And you know what, I believe that. I believe every word of it.

Gordon Beckham was right when he said, “They beat us straight-up . They kicked us in the rump. We were ready and they just did it. They kept hitting the ball.”

Georgia showed up again on Wednesday. They kept their heads up, but something seemed different. They didn’t seem to have the same spark they had earlier in the postseason.

“We couldn’t keep (Fresno) in the yard,” head coach David Perno said. “We hit them to the warning track, and they hit them out.”

“We were definitely ready tonight,” senior third baseman Ryan Peisel said. “They just had our number tonight.”

Peisel added that the thing that scared him the most about Fresno was that “they swung Eastons. They were just like us and they used that undercard card to their advantage. They shut us down.”

The game was over in the top of the sixth when Fresno right fielder Steve Detwiler hit his second home run of the game, a three-run bomb to left field.

It was the end of the road. Right fielder Matt Olson had his hands on his knees and his head down, Peisel was kicking the dirt around third base and several other players had their hands on their hips.

This team’s legacy will be as the team that almost made it.

“They are still behind the 1990 team,” Perno said, a member of that championship team. “If they had won they would have been the best team, but unfortunately, it’s not.”

This team had the tools, had the ability and the desire to win the title. They just ran into the greatest underdog of all time.

They ran into a team with more heart and a team that was just a little better. And the dog that is a little better, always wins “Best in Show.”

- Michael Fitzpatrick is The Red & Black’s sports editor