The Florida Gators are heading home after a heartbreaking loss to Kent State in just their second game in Omaha. The Gators fell behind 5-1 early on but battled back against the Kent State bullpen to pull within a run. But Florida squandered multiple opportunities to either tie it up or take the lead but the bats could simply not come through in the right moment.
Trailing 5-4, the KSU bullpen started the top of the ninth with 11 straight balls, walking both Preston Tucker and Mike Zunino. Cody Dent came on to drop a sacrifice bunt, which he managed to send back to the pitcher on a 3-2 count after getting ahead 3-0 in the count. The wildness continued as Daniel Pigott was hit by a pitch to load up the bases with just one out. Casey Turgeon got ahead 3-0 as well, but struck out on three straight pitches - the first two questionably outside and the third on a check swing. Justin Shafer put a good swing a Josh Pierce offering, sending it the other way nearly to the warning track. But KSU would pull it in to end the No. 1 Gators' postseason run and send them home a disappointing 0-2.
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