CHOMPED

LSU humbled 24-4 by Florida in Game Two of CWS Finals

BY TYLER HARDEN @ttjharden8

The Tigers were humbled, but a response will be needed on Monday. LSU was punished by the Florida Gators 24-4 on Sunday afternoon, forcing a Game Three of the College World Series Finals. Those 24 runs by Florida set a new record for most runs scored in a College World Series game.

“Really good job by Florida winging the bat, they got great players,” Jay Johnson said. “Have to give credit to them, it was an onslaught of good atbats and barrels, and they’re a great team and they played great today.”

The Tigers will take the field once last time this season, and the stakes are at the highest they’ve been all year. If it wins, it’s national champions. If it loses, it’s runner-ups, and will have come as close as any team could have. LSU and Florida will square off one final time at 6 p.m. C.T. on Monday from Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska. The game will be aired live on ESPN.

With the star power Florida has and the power in its lineup, a player that won’t jump out to you on paper had that started it all. In the second inning, Ty Evans homered to tie the game at one. When LSU went back up 3-1 in the bottom of the second, Evans fixed that with a grand slam in the third. In a six-run inning for the Gators, Evans led them to go up 7-3. He finished three for five on the day with two home runs, a single and five RBIs.

Evans led the offense, but its frontier stars also made an impact. As a team, the Gators scored 24 runs on 23 hits, including six home runs.

“There’s a lot to be said, we obviously swung the bats really well today,” Florida head coach, Kevin O’Sullivan, said. “We can’t take any of these runs into tomorrow. We’re going to have to reset and reboot.”

Wyatt Langford put his talent on full display going five for five with two doubles, a home run, and two singles. He hit a three-run home run into the left field stands to extend the Gators lead to 11-3. Langford hit an RBI double in the seventh, and he doubled again in the eighth inning, which scored two more runs.

Jac Caglianone homered right after Langford in the sixth. He brought a run in on a fielder’s choice ground out in the fourth inning, which also was brought in by a throwing error at shortstop from Jordan Thompson. Caglianone had another RBI in the seventh on a groundout to first, which allowed Langford to score. In the eighth inning, Caglianone homered to make the score 19-3.

Cade Kurland was able to score on the throwing error from Thompson in the fourth, and he went two for three on the day with a double, a single,and a walk. Kurland doubled in the seventh inning to set up Langford to bring him in to score another run.

B.T. Riopelle homered in the ninth to give the Gators a 20-3 lead, and he finished two for five. Josh Rivera went two for six as well, and Colby Halter added a double and an RBI single.

LSU seemed to have control of the game early, but Evans’ grand slam put it in a tough position it wasn’t able to come back from. Dylan Crews led the team going two for three at the plate with two singles. Gavin Dugas went one for four with a double, Tommy White went one for four with a single and Josh Pearson singled as well. Brayden Jobert homered in the ninth.

The large gap in the score allowed some bench players to get in the game, but it didn’t mean Florida was done scoring runs. In the ninth inning, Matt Prevesk came off the bench and scored an RBI triple. Prevesk scored on a single from Halter right after, making the score 22-

3. Deric Fabian hit a two-RBI single to extend their lead to 24-

3. Off the bench for LSU, Paxton Kling singled.

After Nate Ackenhausen impressed in his first start of the season on Tuesday night against Tennessee, he didn’t have the same rhythm on Sunday. He gave up six runs, only three of them being earned, in 2.1 innings, but struck out five.

Florida’s bats started to hit up when Gavin Guidry came into pitch. While Ackenhausen was charged with the runs, Guidry threw the pitch to Evans where he hit a grand slam. He went 1.2 innings and gave up two runs on two hits while striking out two.

Bryce Collins had even less luck on the mound. In 1.0 innings pitched, he gave up five runs on four hits, which included Langford and Caglianone’s back-to-back home runs in the sixth.

Blake Money stopped the bleeding in the sixth, but he let another run score, although it was attributed to Collins. He gave up one more in the seventh. Money pitched 1.1 innings and gave up two runs on three hits. Christian Little was next up, and at this point, LSU was defeated. In 1.2 innings, he gave up four runs on four hits and walked two. Sam Dutton came in the bottom of the ninth, and Florida hit him as well. In 1.0 inning, he gave up five runs

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Florida’s starting pitcher, Hurston Waldrep, came into Sunday’s matchup posing the biggest threat for the Tigers. His three-pitch mix has allowed him to thrive all season, but he struggled to find the strike zone. He went for just 2.1 innings, gave up three runs on four hits and walked six.

Blake Purnell came first in relief for Florida and got the Gators out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the third, where the tying runner was at the plate. He pitched 1.2 innings, but walked two. Nick Ficarrotta was next in line, and he went 5.0 innings and gave up a run on three hits.

Both teams are forced to give it all they have on Monday. LSU will need to have a short memory after Sunday’s loss. It’s one thing to lose, but to lose by 21 runs in a crucial game would have lingering effects on any team. It’s most definitely not insurmountable, but a 21-run loss will take a lot to come back from, mentally and physically.

“Everybody in the locker room already forgot about it really,” Crews said. “Going to do what we need to do to get our bodies right tonight, and be ready to go for tomorrow.”

The key is for the Tigers to remember how they got there. But with Florida now in a rhythm and with momentum, it will be doing the same thing.

“There’s a lot on the line,” Caglianone said. “But as long as we keep playing our game, I think the cards will fall really well.”

Monday’s matchup will come down to who can play their Agame when it matters most, and whose A-game is truly better. Both have had it, but never at the same time. On Monday, both will need to bring it.

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