Waldrep and Caglianone Lead Gators in Defeat Over UConn to Stay Alive

No. 2 Gators baseball was victorious over the No. 10 UConn Huskies in a must-win elimination game on Sunday afternoon. The 8-2 win sets up a rematch for Florida and Texas Tech Sunday at 6 p.m. Florida two-way standout Jac Caglianone stepped up at the plate on Sunday afternoon against the Huskies, while Florida starter Hurston Waldrep dominated on the mound.

In the Spotlight

Waldrep had a magnificent outing in his first NCAA Tournament start with the Gators. He surrendered just five hits and one run, walking two and striking out 12 over seven innings. At 101 pitches and 69 strikes, Waldrep’s dominant performance kept Florida’s season alive.

Elimination game dominance.

7.0 IP
5 H
1 ER
2 BB
12 K pic.twitter.com/yPvHoNjvjq

— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) June 4, 2023

 

Trouble for UConn

In the fourth inning, a Cade Kurland line drive would bounce off of UConn starter Garrett Coe, sending him to the ground in pain. Coe would exit the game limping after pitching 3 ⅓ innings. Then, came in UConn reliever Will Nowak. Wyatt Langford hit a bases-loaded sacrifice fly on Nowak’s first pitch, bringing in Tyler Shelnut, who started the inning with a leadoff walk. The Gators held a 2-1 lead as UConn left-handed reliever Zach Fogell came into the game.

Key Plays of The Game

Then came Caglianone’s first bomb of the day with a 446-foot three-run shot on Fogell’s very first pitch. The homer marked his 30th of the season, making Caglianone one of three SEC players to ever reach 30 home runs in a single-season. Caglianone joins Brad Cresse, who hit 30 in 2000, and Brandon Larson, who hit 40 in 1997. Florida gained a 5-1 lead behind Caglianone’s fourth inning bomb.

https://twitter.com/ESPNGainesville/status/1665408208872013826?s=20

The Jac of all trades struck again in the bottom of the eighth, once again homering on the first pitch. The two-run shot, his 31st homer of the season, put the Gators up 8-2.

https://twitter.com/GatorsBB/status/1665425420878233600?s=20

Rematch with Red Raiders

The Gators will face off with the Red Raiders in a rematch on Sunday at 6 p.m. for the opportunity to force a winner-take-all game for the regional championship on Monday.

Onto the next ⏭️#GoGators pic.twitter.com/nwwyBLKkSR

— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) June 4, 2023