Drama kings! Gators get late inning magic to take out TCU, 3-2

Just call them the Omaha Drama Kings. That's the Florida Gators who made it 3-0 at the College World Series, all three wins by a single run and all three requiring last inning magic.

Wednesday afternoon, the Gators got a run-scoring infield single in the top of the ninth that drove home pinch-runner Michael Robertson with the winning run. Florida's 3-2 win over TCU was sealed in the bottom half when closer Brandon Neely shut down the Horned Frogs 1-2-3 to preserve the win. Of course, there had to be some drama, even with three-up, three-down ninth because Michael Robertson ran down Brayden Taylor's high drive to center field and made a leaping grab against the fence for the final out of the game.

With the win, the Gators (53-15) advanced to the best-of-three championship series that begins Saturday evening.

It was 2-2 heading into the ninth after TCU tied the game on an Anthony Silva double that eluded Wyatt Langford's glove by about two inches, driving home Tre Richardson, who had singled and advanced to second on a ground out.

Then came the ninth. Then came the Florida magic.

Tyler Shelnut led off by bouncing a double off the wall in right center off Ben Abelt, who had been nails for three full innings, holding the Gators scoreless while giving up three hits. TCU brough on closer Garrett Wright to face pinch-hitter Dale Thomas, who popped a bunt to first for out one. A long fly ball to right by Colby Halter looked like it might make it out of the park, but Austin Davis made a leaping catch against the wall for out two, but it did move pinch-runner Michael Robertson to third. The Horned Frogs thought they were out of the inning when Cade Kurland hit an 0-2 bouncer into the short-third hole, but Silva slipped as he threw to first. Instead of a fast ball that would have been out three, his looping throw was a tad too late to get Kurland. Robertson scored, leaving the ninth to Neely.

Neely struck out Elijah Nunez on an eye-high hearted that Nunez couldn't lay off of then he got Karson Bowen on a ground out to shortstop. On an 0-2 count, Neely grooved a fast ball that Taylor got all of. It was a race to the wall in center field that Robertson won with a leaping grab.

Florida's run in the ninth ended a drought. Florida scored two in the top of the first on a walk to Wyatt Langford and Josh Rivera's 19th home run of the season, his second homer in Omaha. After that, the Florida bats were pesky but unable to put any insurance runs on the scoreboard.

TCU was pesky, too. The Gators spent the rest of the game living on the edge as pitchers Jac Caglianone, Ryan Slater, Cade Fisher and Neely kept making big pitches when they needed them most to keep TCU from busting the game wide open.

TCU had an answer in the bottom half of the inning when Caglianone was all over the place. He walked one, threw a wild pitch and hit a batter. There was also a passed ball involved, but TCU touched Caglianone for only one hit, a single to right center by Taylor that scored Karson Bowen from second base. The potential was there for a big inning, but Caglianone struck out Silva to strand Taylor at third to end the threat.

The Frogs got a runner to third in the second, but Caglianone struck out Bowen to snuff out TCU’s chance to tie up the game. Caglianone got an inning-ending double play grounder from Tre Richardson in the third and got a helping hand from his defense in the fourth. Kurtis Byrne was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, moving to second on a ground out by Silva. Logan Maxwell singled to right center but when Langford threw to second, the third base coach waved Byrne home. Big mistake there. Rivera threw a dart home and BT Riopelle applied the tag for the second out. Caglianone got out of the inning when Davis hit a weak fly ball to right field.

When Caglianone’s pitch count hit 85 on a Bowen single to right field with one out in the fifth, Kevin O’Sullivan made the switch to bring on Slater from the bullpen. Slater gave up a single to Taylor and a walk to Cole Fontenelle to load up the bases for Richardson, who hit two grand slams in the same game against Arkansas in the Fayetteville Regional. This time there was no heroics. Slater threw a 1-2 slider down and away that Richardson missed by a foot. An 0-1 slider got Kurtis Byrne to hit a sky-high popup that Kurland squeezed for the third out.

Yet another bullet dodged, still a 2-1 Florida lead.

Rivera led off the sixth with a single to right field on a 3-2 pitch and that was the end of the road for TCU starter Cole Klecker, who was pitching on four days rest. That brought on Ben Abelt for a left-on-left matchup against Riopelle. Abelt struck out Riopelle, but Luke Heyman lined his second single of the game over the shortstop’s head to give the Gators first and second with one out. Albet wouldn't give in, striking out Shelnut on a curve ball that broke outside, maybe six inches off the plate, and inducing Ty Evans into a bounce out to third to end the inning.

The Gators went to Cade Fisher in the seventh and the freshman lefty showed by O’Sullivan says he has a slow heartbeat in tight situations. Fisher went 1-2-3 with a strikeout, a grounder to short and a foul out that required an outstanding grab at the screen behind home plate by Riopelle to end the inning. Ten pitches, seven strikes, three outs.

Still Florida 2, TCU 1 with seven full innings. Tension mounting in the stands among fans from both teams, but obviously no sweat for Fisher.

After Fisher started the eighth with a groundout, O'Sullivan went to the bullpen bring in Neely, who promptly gave up a single to Richardson just past the lunging Colby Halter at third. A squibber in front of the plate moved Richardson to second, then Silva doubled to left center, a ball that Langford came within a couple of inches of running down. Maxwell was hit by a pitch but Neely pitched his way out of the inning on a called third strike to Davis.

Tied at 2-2, the Gators found their magic woofie dust once again. Three straight games the Gators have summoned mojo in the ninth. Three straight games, three straight one-run wins. Now they move to a best-of-three championship series.

Is there enough magic to win two more games?