Florida capped off a 3-0 run through pool play at the College World Series to advance to the Finals with a 3-2 win over the Texas Christian Horned Frogs Wednesday afternoon.
All three of Florida’s wins in Omaha have come by a one-run margin, and it was of course Brandon Neely that closed it out after blowing the save in the eighth inning on a ball to center field that was just out of reach of Wyatt Langford.
Somewhat poetically, the final out of the game came on a missile to center, but it was Michael Robertson out there instead of Langford after entering the game as a pinch-runner for Tyler Shlenut in the top of the ninth. Robertson scored the game-winning run and held onto a ball that took him straight into the center field wall to end it.
Leaving Shelnut in was questionable after the outfield failed to make the play in the eighth, but Kevin O’Sullivan is playing a chess game and knows his pieces well. Shelnut’s double and Robertson’s legs were the stories of the game, and that doesn’t even mention Cade Kurland, who drove in the deciding run, Jac Caglianone, who went 4 1/3 innings after a shaky start nor Josh Rivera, who homered in the first as part of a three-hit day.
For more detail on how it all went down, Gators Wire has put together an inning-by-inning recap of the game, including some expanded analysis.
Florida is now waiting to whether it will play LSU or Wake Forest in the College World Series Finals, which begins on Friday, June 23.