COLLEGE WORLD SERIES GAME 2: FLORIDA 8, TEXAS 4
OMAHA, Neb. -- Florida entered Saturday's game against starting pitcher Taylor Jungmann and Texas with 50 wins, but it still is finding ways to surprise coach Kevin O'Sullivan.
The Gators cruised late in the game to defeat the Longhorns 8-4 in their College World Series opener. But it's what happened early in the contest that left O'Sullivan impressed in the postgame press conference.
The Gators and Longhorns both went quietly in the first two innings with UF starting pitcher Hudson Randall and Jungmann dealing for Texas. The Longhorns proceeded to touch up Randall for three runs in the top of the third inning, staking Jungman, the first-round pick of the Milwaukee Brewers, to a three-run cushion.
It's at that point O'Sullivan had some concern cross his mind. Jungmann looked solid the first two frames, and he figured the Gators let the talented right-hander get in a groove. He didn't feel great.
"I didn't have a good feeling at that point, facing a first-rounder and all," O'Sullivan said.
Much to O'Sullivan's pleasing, the Gators didn't give in to Jungmann. The righty started the bottom of the third inning with a pair of walks before the Gators finished the inning with two runs to cut the UT lead to 3-2.
The Gators answered again in the bottom of the fourth inning with a pair of runs and grabbed a 4-3 lead. It's a lead the Gators never relinquished on the way to a victory that was huge for them considering they went 0-2 in the CWS last season.
"I'm really proud of the way we battled back. We uncharacteristically made a few errors early," O'Sullivan said. "Hudson did a really nice job of settling in. He kept chipping away at this thing. It's really good to get this one."
Garrido, meanwhile, was disappointed with his team's performance, but also cognizant there's more baseball to be played.
"There are no secrets about this game. We played below average against a very good team. They had the ability to capitalize on some mistakes," he said. "They're too good to do that against [make mistakes]."
Though the Gators didn't pull away from the Longhorns until the latter innings, they put together a balanced performance. The Gators got solid offensive performances from Cody Dent and Bryson Smith and Daniel Pigott, who each finished the contest with two hits. Smith and Pigott are two guys hitting at an extremely high level in the postseason.
But while the offense certainly did their part against the 'Horns, this game, as with Saturday's earlier contest between Sonny Gray of Vanderbilt and Patrick Johnson of North Carolina, was supposed to be a special pitcher's duel.
Only Randall got the memo.
There were plenty of questions about Jungmann entering the contest. He hadn't been crisp the last two weeks, having his worst outing of the season (before tonight) in an NCAA Regional loss to Kent State. In that start, he allowed seven runs on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings.
Jungmann simply fell apart tonight against the Gators. He was staked a 3-0 lead and looked good the first two innings with his typical smooth motion appearing normal and his stuff keeping Florida's powerful hitters off balance.
Then it happened. Jungmann went into a funk.
"Around the third inning I just got out of rhythm. I made some bad pitches and set them up with some opportunities to score runs. I walked more guys than I usually do and they took advantage of that," Jungmann said. "Wouldn't say physically [his problem], but mechanically some things have gone wrong lately. I had a fine bullpen, but just didn't bring it to the field today. You can't fall behind in the count like you did today."
Jungmann, who was tabbed with his third-straight loss, struck out just three batters and allowed five runs (four earned) on three hits in 4 1/3 innings.
"Sometimes that happens, it's just one of those things," O'Sullivan said about Jungmann's performance. "We put together some quality at bats and took advantage of a couple of walks."
While Jungmann was unable to bounce back from his funky inning against the Gators, UF starter Hudson Randall was able to regroup after his tough third against the Longhorns.
Randall, who was Florida's most consistent arm entering the CWS, entered the tournament with a 2.29 ERA in 110 innings. And though he doesn't have the same power arm as fellow starter Karsten Whitson, he consistently displays near impeccable command.
Against the Longhorns, Randall struck out five (walked none) and allowed four runs (one earned) on five hits in 6 2/3 innings. He retired 13-straight Texas hitters at one point from the third through the seventh inning.
"Once he [Randall] got the lead back he became more competitive. We took him out of his rhythm that one inning and his team rallied right back," Garrido said. "They had a good inning against us and that really reestablished his confidence and took off from there. He took charge of the game."
Advice from O'Sullivan helped Randall keep things together.
"Sully always tells me to stop the bleeding where it's at, so that was my main focus there," Randall said. "They weren't really getting good swings on me, so I was just trusting my stuff and throwing some strikes."
Going into the game between the Longhorns and Gators, the ultimate key was Jungmann getting off to a hot start and finding a way to shutdown Florida's potent offense. That didn't happen.
Randall, meanwhile, proved once again why he's one of the nation's elite pitchers. He took punches early in the game, never backed down, and ended the contest as the last man standing.
He also has the Gators headed to the winner's bracket.
Game in a nutshell
Player of the game: RHP Hudson Randall, Florida -- Randall had two great innings to start the game and struggled in the third frame against the Longhorns. However, he regrouped, gained more confidence and put together a solid start. He retired 13-straight batters at one point and struck out five while walking none and allowing just one earned run on five hits in 6 2/3 innings. Randall set the tone for the Gators.
Turning point: We've already discussed it, but there's no doubt the turning point in the game was the bottom of the third and fourth innings. Texas scored three runs in the top of the third inning to take what was perceived at the time to be a commanding 3-0 lead with Taylor Jungmann on the mound. Florida, though, fought back with two runs in the bottom of the third and two more in the fourth on RBI doubles from Daniel Pigott and Cody Dent to take a 4-3 lead. The Gators never looked back as they cruised to a solid victory over the Longhorns.
Where both teams stand: With the Longhorns' season on the line Monday in an elimination game against North Carolina, senior right-handed pitcher Cole Green will get the starting nod. Green has a 3.03 ERA in 104 innings this season and has been solid the past three weeks ... Florida, meanwhile, advances to the winner's bracket and will face Vanderbilt on Monday in what should be a thrilling contest between a pair of teams that have played five times this season. UF likely will give the starting nod to freshman right-hander Karsten Whitson, who has a 2.45 ERA in 88 innings and tossed 6 1/3 solid innings last weekend against Mississippi State.
Kendall Rogers is the college baseball editor for Perfect Game USA and has covered the sport for over 10 seasons. He can be reached at kendall@perfectgame.org