By Phil Stanton
CBI Co-Founder/Editor
OMAHA, Neb. – Late legs provided the difference for the Gators.
Freshman Michael Robertson sat for eight innings but scored the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth as a pinch-runner and ended the game by crashing into the wall for a catch in center as No. 2 Florida edged TCU 3-2 in another thriller in the 2023 College World Series.
The Gators (53-15) advance to the best-of-three championship series which begins on Saturday, June 24 at 6 p.m. CT.
“Excited to be moving on,” UF head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “Look forward to getting started again on Saturday. It’s not easy to get to this point. It’s just not. I know I overstate it and say it over and over, but we just played three one-run games and they’re all nail-biters down to the end.”
The Horned Frogs ended their season at 44-24.
TCU tied the game in the bottom of the eighth. Tre Richardson had a one-out single to left and moved to second on a groundout. Anthony Silva ripped a double to left center that knocked in Richardson to level the score at 2-2.
Tyler Shelnut (2 for 4) had a leadoff double to right center in the top of the ninth for the Gators. Robertson replaced Shelnut at second as a pinch-runner. Pinch-hitter Dale Thomas popped out on a bunt attempt. Colby Halter launched a long fly ball to right on which Austin Davis made a leaping catch at the wall for the second out. Cade Kurland singled to left as Robertson scored the go-ahead run.
“It’s really important to stay in the moment for when you do get the opportunity,” Kurland said. “And that’s why, he got me 0-2 quick, and I just knew he wasn’t going to get me out. I wasn’t going to go down.”
Brandon Neely got a strikeout and a groundout before Brayden Taylor stepped to the plate. Taylor smacked a ball to straight away center. Robertson made a long run, caught the ball as he ran into the wall to end the game.
“I went up there taking my same approach I always do,” Taylor said. “Even though the moment may have seemed a little bit bigger, but I was just going up there, trying to get a good pitch to hit, put a good swing on it. I put a good swing on it. I thought it may have a chance.”
UF got on the board early. In the top of the first, Wyatt Langford drew a one-out walk and went to second on a groundout. Josh Rivera belted a long homer to left to give the Gators a 2-0 edge.
“I wasn’t really looking for anything specific,” Rivera said. “He came first pitch slider. And I didn’t let that take me away from my approach. I stayed on the fastball and luckily I saw it pop out of his hand and got a hanging slider that I could put a good swing on. It was huge for our momentum definitely to get us up early in the game. And I think it was a very big moment for my team.”
Rivera was a triple short of the cycle, going 3 for 4.
TCU answered in the bottom of the first. Karson Bowen worked a one-out walk, went to second on a wild pitch and scored on a base hit by Taylor (2 for 5) to make it 2-1. The Frogs loaded the bases against Jac Caglianone but could not add to their run total.
The Frogs again loaded the bases with one away in the fifth. UF pitcher Ryan Slater got a strikeout and a popout to keep the Gators on top by one. TCU stranded 10 in the contest.
The pitching was strong for both teams. Caglianone went the first 4.1 innings with three hits, one run, three walks and four strikeouts. Slater worked 1.2 innings with one hit, one walk and one punchout. Cade Fisher retired the four batters he faced with one strikeout. Brandon Neely (2-2) pitched the final 1.2 frames with two hits, one run and two strikeouts.
“Our defense has been really solid,” Kurland said. “And I give credit to our bullpen, too, for keeping us in game the whole time we’ve been here.”
Kole Klecker hurled 5.0 innings for TCU with six hits, two runs, one walk and two strikeouts. Ben Abeldt (3-4) worked 3.0 innings with three hits, one run and five punchouts. Garrett Wright pitched one inning with one hit and one strikeout.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our program and our players,” TCU head coach Kirk Saarloos said. “Obviously ran up against a great Florida team and just came up one run short. But I told them, the story and the journey that they took us on this year will never be forgotten. I think it completely changes our program in terms of what they did from the middle part of the season until now. It just stinks that it’s over. But I’ve never been more proud of a group.”
Notes
This was the seventh one-run game in the 2023 College World Series.