Florida blows out Kentucky to set up showdown with Texas A&M
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Brody Donay hit a grand slam for the first of his two homers, Jac Caglianone became Florida’s all-time home run leader and the Gators rode a seven-run first inning to a 15-4 win over Kentucky in a College World Series elimination game Wednesday.
The game had been scheduled for Tuesday night but was postponed because of rain. The Gators (36-29) return to the field Wednesday night to face another Southeastern Conference rival, Texas A&M.
Kentucky (46-16) went 1-2 in its first CWS appearance after giving up the most runs since it lost 16-6 to LSU on April 13, 2023.
This will be the second time Florida has had to play two games in a day in this year’s NCAA Tournament. The Gators won two games in regionals on June 2. They are 5-0 in elimination games in the tournament.
Florida would need to beat Texas A&M on Wednesday and again Thursday to advance to the best-of-three finals for the second straight year. The Aggies beat Florida 3-2 in their CWS opener Saturday.
The Gators’ bats didn’t require a wakeup call for the 10 a.m. game against Kentucky. They banged out 15 hits and finished with their third-highest run total of the season.
They rocked Kentucky starter Dominic Niman a second straight time while putting up seven runs in the first. Niman faced six batters in his one-third of an inning. He allowed three hits and was charged for five of the runs. Niman gave up six runs in four innings in a 10-1 loss to the Gators last month.
Niman (8-5) was gone by the time Donay came up with the bases loaded in the first. Dale Thomas greeted reliever Cameron O’Brien with a base hit before Donay hit his first pitch to him out to right, barely clearing the fence with the aid of a light north wind on a 66-degree morning. The wind had not blown out at Charles Schwab Field the first five days of the CWS.
Donay’s second homer was monstrous, a 414-footer that exited his bat at 118 mph and landed in the last row of the left-field bleachers. The homers were the 13th and 14th of the year for the No. 8 batter in the order, and his five RBIs were a career high.
Pierce Coppola (1-4), who came back in April following back and shoulder injuries that caused him to miss the 2023 season, gave the Gators exactly what they needed in his career-long five innings. The left-hander struck out nine, and the Gators had a five-run lead when his day ended.
The Gators, who entered the game batting .190 in Omaha, gave their batting order a makeover with four players in new spots.
Most notably, coach Kevin O’Sullivan had Caglianone bat leadoff for the first time in his career. Caglianone, projected to be among the first players taken in the amateur draft, was intentionally walked in the regular-season series with the Wildcats.
Kentucky again had no answer for Caglianone. The .400 hitter singled, hit his 35th homer of the season and 75th of his career to pass Matt LaPorta on the school career chart. Caglianone was walked three times, once intentionally.
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