College World Series Finals: Florida Forces Winner-Take-All Game Three
For the last nine days, we've watched close game after close game in the Men's College World Series in Omaha. Eight of the fifteen games played at "The Greatest Show on Dirt" thus far have been decided by one run.
On Tuesday, TCU defeated ORU by five runs, and LSU defeated Tennessee by five runs. That day seemed like an anomaly for this year's MCWS due to all the close games.
Sunday, in the second game of the championship series. No. 2 Florida blew that away with a 20-run differential over No. 5 LSU. The final score was 24-4. Florida was down 1-3 after two innings. Then in the top of the 3rd, they went petal the metal and put up 23 runs against the Tigers. LSU would get a solo homer to end the game to end the unanswered steak by Florida.
College World Series Finals - Game Two
No. 2 Florida (1-1) 24 - No. 5 LSU (1-1) 3
LSU got on the board in the bottom of the 1st, thanks to an RBI double by Gavin Dugas. Florida right fielder Ty Evans would get his first (yes, there was another) homer - this time, a solo hit down the left-field line.
LSU would get a couple of singles in the bottom of the 2nd to briefly take a 3-1 lead over the Gators. Then the floodgates opened.
Evans would get a grand slam in the top of the 3rd for his second homer of the day. Florida would get six total homers throughout the game. Centerfielder Wyatt Langford would get a 3-run bomb in the sixth. The next batter would be Jac Caglianone, and he, too, would get a homerun. Caglianone would get another homer in the 8th, this time a 2-run homer. Catcher BT Riopelle would get in on the home run parade with a solo one in the 9th.
Florida had 23 hits (tied for the most in an MCWS game) and 24 runs (an MCWS record) in the game. The previous record of runs scored was 23 (Arizona State in 1984 and Notre Dame in 1957).
In the first 14 games this year in the MCWS, the total run differential was 28 runs. In Sunday's game, the run differential was 20.
In the bottom of the 9th, LSU would add a solo home run by Brayden Jobert to reduce the deficit to 20.
The two teams are now tied 1-1 in the championship series. This forces a decisive Game Three, which will be played on Monday, June 26, at 7 p.m. ET. The game can be seen on ESPN.
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