GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Omaha, here they come -- again.
Daniel Pigott popped a solo homer in top of the 10th inning, then Josh Tobias
added an insurance RBI single, and the top-seeded Gators closed out North
Carolina State with a 9-8 win Sunday night and sweep of their NCAA Super
Regional to advance to the College World Series for the third straight year.
A crowd of 4,568 -- many of whom left, but returned after a two-hour, 23-minute
rain delay -- cheered wildly as sophomore reliever Keenan Kish, UF’s seventh
pitcher of the day, struck out Chris Diaz on three straight pitches, the last
one looking, to end the game.
The score was tied after NC State, the home team, rallied for a run to make it
7-7 in the bottom of the ninth. Pigott led off the top of the 10th with his
homer, just his third of the year, to give the Gators (47-18) a one-run lead.
Singles by Casey Turgeon and Tobias pushed the margin to 9-7 heading into the
Wolfpack (43-20) bottom half of the 10th.
Karsten Whitson walked the leadoff batter, bringing Coach Kevin O’Sullivan from
the dugout and Bobby Poyner from the bullpen. Poyner hit Tarran Senay, putting
the tying run at first and winning run at the plate. A sacrifice bunt moved
both runners over.
Enter Kish, who gave up a sacrifice fly that made the score 9-8, but got Diaz,
who homered earlier in the game, on three straight pitches to set off the
celebration.
UF will be making its eight all-time CWS appearances.
