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Taking to the field at O’Brate Stadium on Sunday afternoon, the Florida Gators baseball team was down to its last life. Coming off a 7-1 loss to Oklahoma State to land on the brink of elimination, UF needed a win against the Nebraska Cornhuskers to stay alive in the Stillwater (Okla.) Regional of the NCAA Tournament.
But the Gators proved once again that even with their backs against the wall, they are never a squad to be taken lightly. Florida lit up the scoreboard in a 17-11 win over Nebraska to advance to the regional final against Oklahoma State (42-17) at 8:36 tonight on ESPN+, ESPN 98.1-FM/850-AM WRUF.
The Gators (30-28) got their bats going from the get-go Sunday, scoring seven runs in the first two innings. Florida went on to score a combined 10 runs in the sixth and seventh frames to down the Cornhuskers (40-22) for good.
Elimination Game Boxscore
Colby Shelton led the way for the Gators with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate alongside four RBIs and two runs scored. Dale Thomas finished with a three-hit outing, while Jac Caglianone went 2-for-3 with four RBIs and four runs scored.
Florida provided plenty of fireworks at the plate, recording four home runs courtesy of Shelton, Thomas, Caglianone and Luke Heyman. Brody Donay and Michael Robertson chipped in with a pair of multi-hit performances as well.
On the mound, Pierce Coppola picked up his first win of the 2024 campaign. Coppola threw out 4 1/3 innings, finishing with a line of four hits, three walks, four runs and eight strikeouts. It proved to be a shaky stumble to the finish line for Florida’s bullpen, which surrendered seven runs in the final four frames. Nevertheless, the Gators managed to stave off the Cornhuskers’ late comeback attempts and hold on for the win.
The teams had to deal with a two-hour weather delay in the middle of the game.
Gators Blast Off
At first, it appeared the Gators and Cornhuskers were headed toward a back-and-forth slugfest. Gabe Swansen led off the afternoon for Nebraska with a two-run moonshot to take the first lead of the game. After Florida responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame, the Cornhuskers tacked on another two runs in the top of the second, this time on a long ball from Joshua Overbeek.
BEEK BOMB. pic.twitter.com/NS0b8fbQzR
— Nebraska Baseball (@HuskerBaseball) June 2, 2024
Now facing another two-run deficit, the Gators put their foot to the pedal in the bottom of the second and never looked back. Thomas led off the frame with a double into left center field. Donay and Robertson immediately followed with a pair of singles, the latter brought Thomas home.
Florida now only trailed by one run, but as Caglianone stepped back into the batter’s box, it was clear that he was not just looking for a tie. On the third pitch he saw, Caglianone ripped a ball past the right foul pole for a three-run homer to give the Gators their first lead of the afternoon at 6-4. The home run was Caglianone’s 31st of the season and second in two games.
https://TWITTER.com/GatorsBB/status/1797340859228446987
Heyman went on to secure an RBI single later in the inning to push Florida’s lead to 7-4.
Staying In Front
Both squads quieted back down at the plate for the next three frames. Eventually, the Cornhuskers came back with two more runs in the sixth inning. Florida immediately got both runs back, and then some more as the frame went on.
After Caglianone led off the bottom of the sixth with an RBI double to score Cade Kurland, Shelton landed on first via a hit-by-pitch. With two runners now on base, Tyler Shelnut cracked a single into center field to bring Caglianone home. Shelton scored on a Nebraska fielding error, while Shelnut crossed home plate on another RBI single from Thomas.
https://twitter.com/GatorsBB/status/1797391786639544586
Now sporting a comfortable 11-6 lead, Florida went for the kill in the bottom of the seventh. After a leadoff double from Robertson and an intentional walk for Caglianone, Ashton Wilson drilled a single into left to score Florida’s first run of the inning. Nebraska went to the bullpen, looking to keep the Gators at bay for the time being.
Instead, Florida blasted out three home runs in its next four plate appearances. Shelton and Heyman knocked out back-to-back long balls to drive in a combined four runs, while Thomas followed two at-bats later with a solo shot.
Now up to a mind-boggling 17 runs on the day, the Gators went on cruise control for the remainder of the afternoon to knock out the Cornhuskers.
3️⃣-RUN OPPO TACO 🌮 FOR 🔟#GoGators // 📺 SECN pic.twitter.com/AimbeQtzGf
— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) June 2, 2024
Up Next
OSU knocked Florida into the loser’s bracket with Saturday night’s 7-1 win. Florida needs to beat Oklahoma State twice. The If Necessary Game is scheduled Monday with start time TBD.
Stillwater Regional
- Game 1: Florida 5, Nebraska 2
- Game 2: Oklahoma State 19, Niagra 7
- Game 3: Nebraska 7, Niagara 5
- Game 4: Oklahoma State 7, Florida 1
- Game 5 | Florida 17, Nebraska 11
- Sunday: Game 6 | Oklahoma State vs. Florida | 8:36 p.m. ESPN+
- Monday: Game 7 | If necessary
