In a game of inches, Gators drop CWS opener to Texas A&M, 3-2

Florida coach Kevin O'Sullivan meets with infielders and starting pitcher Liam Peterson in the second inning (UAA photo)

Maybe as few as three inches, six inches at the absolute most, stood between the Florida Gators winning their first game at the College World Series and a 3-2 loss to the Texas A&M Aggies.

With one out in the top of the ninth and Michael Robertson on first via a one-out infield single, Cade Kurland got hold of Evan Aschenbeck’s 1-1 offering, a deep fly ball to right field that had all the markings of a go-ahead home run. The only problem was Aggie right fielder Jace LaViolette who needed every inch of his 6-6 frame and long arms to reach over the fence and pull it in for what would prove to be the difference-making second out. Three inches, maybe six inches farther and it’s a home run

Jac Caglianone followed Kurland. On a 1-2 count Aschenbeck tried to get a swing and miss on an inside pitch wrist high. Caglianone, who had doubled and singled earlier,  fouled it off down the right field line. Three inches maybe, six inches at the most closer to the plate and it’s a pitch Caglianone doesn’t miss.

Given a reprieve, Aschenbeck’s next three pitches were at least two feet off the plate. A walk for Caglianone, putting the game in the hands of Ashton Wilson, hero of the Stillwater Regional and clutch hitter at the Clemson Super Regional.

There were no heroics to be had on this night. On a 1-2 count Aschenbeck threw a high hard one six inches or so off the plate. Wilson swung and missed.

Swings and misses. That’s the story of the game for the Gators who bit the bullet 16 times against three Aggie pitchers. Starter Justin Lamkin went the first three innings, striking out six Gators while allowing only a Robertson single up the middle with two outs in the third. Lamkin didn’t walk a single Gator.

Chris Cortez followed Lamkin. He also went three innings and was quite effective until the top of the seventh when the Gators struck for both their runs. Doubles to Tyler Shelnut and Dale Thomas put the Gators on the scoreboard and ended the night for Cortez, who gave up four hits and one walk while striking out six.

That brought on Aschenbeck, who won the award as the nation’s best closer. Aschenbeck got the first out when Brody Donay executed a perfect sacrifice bunt to move Thomas to third. Out two came on an RBI groundout to shortstop by Robertson. The final out of the inning was an easy grounder to second by Kurland.  

The Gators wasted a perfect opportunity for a big inning against Cortez in the sixth. On the first pitch of the inning, Cortez hit Kurland in the helmet then Caglianone followed with a double down the right field line that left his bat at 117 miles per hour. Since there were none out, Kurland was held at third. The Gators needed a fly ball to the outfield or a grounder to the right side to score Kurland from third but the big inning they were playing for never materialized since Cortez struck out Wilson and Colby Shelton, then ended the inning when he got Luke Heyman on a soft fly ball to right.

The Gators loaded the bases off Aschenbeck in the top of the eighth but couldn’t capitalize once again. Caglianone led off with a hard single to right center, but Wilson and Shelton went down swinging. Heyman lined a double down the left field line and Shelnut coaxed a walk to load the bases. Aschenbeck escaped damage when he got Thomas to hit a grounder to second which Kaeden Kent underhanded to first baseman Ted Burton. It took every inch of Burton’s 6-3 frame to glove the throw. He barely kept his toe on the base. Florida challenged the call, but it was confirmed by the replay people.

If the throw had been three inches higher or if Thomas had gotten down the line three inches faster – six at the most – the game would have been tied at 3-3.

It was an uphill battle all the way for the Gators, who started freshman Liam Peterson. Peterson had a live fast ball and a nasty curve, but he struggled with his location. After a scoreless first, Peterson gave up two runs in the second and a run in the third before he was lifted for Fisher Jameson. In the second, a single, a walk and another single loaded the bases for Travis Chestnut. Chestnut hit a very high bouncer to third that Thomas gloved in fair territory. Thomas, it seemed, expected a foul ball call but when he didn’t hear it he rushed to tag third base with the game’s first run scoring.

Replays showed Thomas actually beat Ali Camarillo to the bag, but the Gators were down to one challenge at the time and didn’t choose to use it. Peterson uncorked a high pitch to Jackson Appel that Heyman should have caught, but the ball skipped off the pocket of his catcher’s mitt, allowing Camarillo to score for a 2-0 lead.

Peterson walked the leadoff batter in the third, then one out later gave up a run-scoring double to Caden Sorrell. That was the end of the night for Peterson. Fisher Jameson came on, walking the first two hitters he faced before pitching his way out of a bases-loaded jam with a strikeout and a ground out.

Jameson went three innings, allowing one hit and three walks while striking out three before he gave way to Cade Fisher with a runner on and one out in the sixth. Fisher got a double play grounder by LaViolette to end the inning.

Brandon Neely pitched the final two innings for UF, giving up one hit while striking out three.

Baseball is a game of inches and on this night, the Gators kept coming up inches short. They didn’t help themselves with the 16 strikeouts. Those four walks by Peterson were difference-makers.

The Gators actually out-hit the Aggies 8-6 but they left 10 on base, nine in scoring position.

The loss puts Florida (34-29) in the elimination bracket. The Gators will face North Carolina State (38-22), a 5-4 loser to Kentucky Saturday afternoon, in a 2 p.m. elimination game Monday afternoon. The Aggies (50-13) will face Kentucky (46-14) at 7 p.m. Monday.

Saturday’s scores

No. 2 Kentucky (46-14) 5, No. 10 North Carolina State (38-22) 4

No. 3 Texas A&M (50-13) 3, FLORIDA (34-29) 2

Sunday’s games

2 p.m. No. 8 Florida State (47-16) vs. No. 12 Virginia (46-16); loser eliminated

7 p.m. No. 1 Tennessee (56-12) vs. No. 4 North Carolina (48-14)

Monday’s games

2 p.m. FLORIDA (34-29) vs. North Carolina State (38-22), loser eliminated

7 p.m. No. 2 Kentucky (46-14) vs. No. 3 Texas A&M (50-13)