Florida baseball dropped the opening game of the 2023 College World Series Finals on Saturday night in 11 innings, 4-3, against fellow Southeastern Conference comrades the LSU Tigers to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series.
Gators starter Brandon Sproat struggled mightily in the early innings but still managed to last four frames allowing just two earned runs on six hits and five walks while striking out seven; it took him 111 pitches to manage that final line.
The good news is that Cade Fisher and Brandon Neely did a fine job in relief to bridge their team into extras, but unfortunately, they both surrendered a run which led to the final score. SEC saves leader Neely took the loss due to a solo home run that made the difference — the only hit he allowed.
At the plate, BT Riopelle paced the Gators with a solo home run, while Cade Kurland scored a run and also drove in a runner, Ty Evans scored a run, and Jac Caglianone notched an RBI for himself.
Take a look below at a handful of highlights from the Gators’ tough loss on Saturday night at the hands of the Tigers at Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska.