Gators hammer Tigers in Game Two of CWS Finals, 24-4, force Game Three on Monday

OMAHA, NEB. (WCJB) -After striking out 20 times and producing only six hits in Game One of the College World Series finals, the Gator lineup awakened in a must-win Game Two on Sunday.

Sophomore Ty Evans crushed two home runs, including a tie-breaking two-out grand slam in the third inning, part of a 23-hit attack as Florida routed LSU, 24-4 to even the best-of-three championship series at one game apiece. Florida and LSU play a winner-take-all Game Three on Monday at 7 p.m.

Evans drove in five runs and his four homers at the College World Series are the most by any Gator in any one year. His grand slam was the first by a Florida batter in Omaha since Brad Wilkerson in 1996.

Wyatt Langford and Jac Caglianone both came alive in the victory after combining to go just 5-for-33 in the other four games of the series. The two Gator sluggers clubbed back-to-back homers in the sixth inning and totaled 11 RBI’s. Caglianone added a second home run to give him sole possession of the NCAA lead with 33 on the year. Langford finished 5-for-5 with 6 RBI’s and four runs scored.

Ironically, there was a hint that Florida’s offensive struggles of Game One might carry over to Game Two, at least early on. Florida was presented with a golden opportunity to score early when Cade Kurland and Wyatt Langford reached base leading off the top of the first and advanced to second and third with one out. However, Josh Rivera and BT Riopelle struck out to end the inning.

LSU scored first for the second straight game when Gavin Dugas doubled home Dylan Crews in the bottom of the first. The Tigers made UF starter Hurston Waldrep work hard. The righthander, who came into the game with a 3-0 record in the NCAA tournament with an ERA of 0.85, needed 29 pitches to get out of the first.

Florida pulled even in the top of the second inning when Evans blasted a solo home run just inside the left field foul pole for his third homer in Omaha and his seventh of the season. Florida tied the game, 1-1. The bats were just getting started.

LSU quickly regained the lead with two more runs in the bottom of the second. Tommy White’s RBI single was followed by Tre Morgan’s sacrifice fly. The Tigers left the bases loaded but held a 3-1 lead.

The Gators broke through with a six-run outburst in the top of the third. The first four UF batters of the inning all reached safely, with Caglianone and Rivera delivering back-to-back RBI singles to tie the game, 3-3 and knock out LSU starter Nate Ackenhausen. Caglianone’s RBI was his 86th of the season, a new single-season program record. He was far from done producing for the day.

Prior to the rally, the Gators were 3-for-35 with runners in scoring position in the College World Series. Then with two outs and the bases loaded in the third, Evans crushed his grand slam off reliever Gavin Guidry, a high-arcing shot that gave UF a 7-3 lead.

Waldrep lasted just two and a third innings, his shortest outing of the season. But reliever Blake Purnell turned in a solid outing in relief in his first appearance in three weeks. Purnell tossed one and two thirds scoreless innings to hold LSU in check. Nick Ficarrotta closed matters on the mound for Florida by hurling the final five innings and allowing just one run on three hits.

Up 8-3 through five innings, Florida incredibly added 16 more runs to its total. After bashing consecutive homers in the sixth, Caglianone and Langford each drove in runs in the seventh and eighth as well, including Caglianone’s second homer of the day. Then in the top of the ninth, Riopelle launched the sixth Gator homer of the day to highlight a five-run outburst.

Florida’s top four hitters in the order, Kurland, Langford, Caglianone, and Rivera combined for 12 hits.

Game Three is set for Monday at 7 p.m. at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, and Caglianone is expected to be Florida’s starting pitcher. He is 7-3 with an ERA of 3.68.

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