NCAA Stillwater Regional: Florida Downs Nebraska In Game 1

Many were doubtful of the Gators baseball team even getting into the NCAA Tournament, but once it did, the past was forgotten and a fresh slate of redemption was born.

That’s exactly what Florida needed after being one-and-done in the SEC Tournament just a week ago against Vanderbilt.

After traveling 1,137 miles from home to Stillwater, Okla., the Gators were greeted Friday facing their toughest arm (on paper) of the season in Game 1 of the regional against the Big Ten Tournament champions Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Regardless, the Gators took control early for a 5-2 win against Nebraska thanks to some youthful firepower in the form of freshman Liam Peterson and sophomores Ashton Wilson and Cade Kurland.

The Challenge

To get the win in Game 1 against the two seed Cornhuskers (39-21), three seed Florida (29-27) needed to set the tone and dominate early on the mound and at the plate.

Big Ten Pitcher of the Year Brett Sears entered the game with a 9-0 record and a 2.00 ERA, so the Gators needed to stack quality at bats and get him out of the game as soon as possible.

UF coach Kevin O’Sullivan put the ball in Peterson’s right hand because he had tossed a team-best 2.33 ERA in May to silence a Nebraska lineup with six different batters slashing .300 or better.

Fantastic Friday

Kurland (2-for-5, 2 RBIs) set the tone with a solo homer to left on the third pitch of the game to give Peterson some breathing room before he even toed the rubber and it definitely played a role in his performance.

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Peterson struck out two batters in the first, but Nebraska punched back by capitalizing off a walk with an RBI single to tie it at 1-1.

From there, Peterson (3-4) settled in by turning up the heat through the next four innings by letting his fastball eat up to 97 mph and tunneling his 84-mph slider right behind it.

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While Peterson threw flames, Wilson (4-for-5, 3 RBIs) caught fire for a career day at the plate for the Gators. Entering Friday’s game, Wilson had six hits on the season, including three doubles.

He multiplied that number with three doubles by the fifth inning, the first Gator with three doubles in a game since Pete Alonso in 2016.

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In the third inning, Jac Caglianone (1-for-2) melted a 115-mph line drive for a double that was followed by an infield single from Tyler Shelnut. Wilson then scorched his second double of the game to plate two runs and give Florida a 3-1 lead.

Game 1 Boxscore

A key to the dominance at the dish for Wilson and company was forcing Sears (9-1) off the mound. Sears gave up a season-high 10 hits and matched his season minimum outing of five innings after his pitch count climbed to 92.

On the other hand, Peterson shut down the Cornhuskers by tossing four straight scoreless innings.

The rookie was phenomenal, striking out seven without giving up a hit after the second inning until the sixth. After a strikeout, Peterson left a 2-2 changeup hanging that Gabe Swansen launched into the left field bullpen, cutting the margin to 3-2.

Fisher Jameson took over in relief. He struck out one for the second out, then allowed a base hit, but the runner was cut down later by catcher Luke Heyman attempting to steal second base.

After two outs in the bottom of the seventh, O’Sullivan turned to closer Brandon Neely for a seven-out save.

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Kurland put up another RBI for an insurance run in the eighth, scoring a speedy Dale Thomas, who had singled and moved to second on a ground out,  with a single to give UF a 4-2 lead.

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The biggest threat Florida faced came in the bottom of the inning, after Neely gave up consecutive one-out hits and a walk to load the bases for Nebraska.

A loud line out to center field followed by three straight fastballs blown by Dylan Carey stranded the bases juiced for a scoreless inning by Neely that ignited the Gator dugout.

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Wilson capped his memorable day with the first home run of his collegiate career in the ninth. Not only was it gone, but he dented the top of the scoreboard in left field to put the nail in the coffin for the Gators up 5-2.

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Neely sealed the win for his third save by inducing a double play to help the Gators move into the winner’s bracket Saturday night.

One statistic, however, may leave O’Sullivan concerned going into Game 2.

The Gators left a startling 12 runners on the base paths against Nebraska, going 4-for-18 (.200) with runners in scoring position. They stranded seven runners in scoring position, two of them at third base. They stranded a runner in scoring position in each of the first six innings.

Coming in as the seventh-ranked team nationally with 116 homers on the season, Florida lives and dies by the longball. In the postseason at any level, doing the little things like moving runners over and having productive at bats prove the difference in winning or losing ball games.

The Gators must take advantage and hone in on stacking the productive at bats if they wish to make a deep run in the tournament.

Gators vs. Cowboys ⚔

: No. 16 Oklahoma State
: Stillwater, Okla.
⏰: 7 p.m. ET
:
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— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) June 1, 2024

Up Next

Florida will face regional top seed Oklahoma State (41-17) at 7 p.m. ET Saturday (SEC Network, ESPN 98.1-FM/AM-850 WRUF). The Cowboys advanced later Friday with a win against four seed Niagara (38-16). Nebraska and Niagara play in an elimination game at 2 p.m. Saturday.

The Gators are expected to go with Caglianone (5-1, 4.35 ERA) on the mound.

Stillwater Regional

• Game 1 Friday: Florida 5, Nebraska 2
• Game 2 Friday: Oklahoma State 19, Niagara 7
• Saturday | Game 3 | Nebraska vs. Niagara | 2 p.m.
• Saturday | Game 4 | Florida vs. Oklahoma State | 7 p.m.
• Sunday | Game 5 | Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 loser | 2 p.m.
• Sunday | Game 6 | Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner | 7 p.m.
• Monday | Game 7 | If necessary