Right-handed junior reliever Brandon Neely has carried a fiery mentality on the mound throughout his career as a Gator. He was forced to do much the same as he loaded the bases in the bottom of the eighth inning with his team holding a two-run advantage.
With his back against the wall, Neely came up huge for Florida. After setting up a 0-2 pitcher’s count, he doored a fastball past Nebraska's junior shortstop Dylan Carey to halt the prior momentum the Huskers forced after Neely allowed back-to-back singles and a walk earlier in the frame.
Sophomore right fielder Ashton Wilson started just four games for UF this season and was presented with the lofty task of getting the starting nod in what was perhaps the biggest matchup of the season for Florida.
Though, Wilson didn’t shy away from the moment. In fact, he embraced it.
The Charleston Southern transfer had the best performance of his young career as a Gator and slammed the door shut on the Huskers in the top of the ninth inning with a game sealing solo home run that almost landed over the scoreboard in left field.
No. 3-seed Florida (29-27, 13-17 SEC) put together an all-around team performance to take down No. 2-seed Nebraska (39-21, 16-8 Big Ten) in the opening round of the Stillwater Regional in the NCAA Tournament Friday.
The Gators have shown the ability throughout the entire season to use the long ball to their advantage. Sophomore second baseman Cade Kurland wasted no time carrying this theme into the regional for his squad.
In the very first at bat of the game, Kurland launched a solo shot to center field to give Florida an early 1-0 edge.
Freshman pitcher Liam Peterson has been the squads most effective and efficient starter over the past two months and it was enough to get the start on the bump in a crucial game against the Cornhuskers.
Peterson got off to a shaky first frame putting two runners on with Nebraska's cleanup hitter coming to the dish in junior outfielder Gabe Swansen who tied the game at one apiece with a RBI double to left-center field.
Despite a scoreless second frame for UF, Wilson had his first opportunity to make an impact and he delivered with a leadoff double for his first of four hits in the contest.
The Gators bats got hot in the third inning. Junior first baseman and pitcher Jac Caglianone crushed a double off the wall in center and senior left fielder Tyler Shelnut came through for a single to the left side setting up runners on first and third for Wilson.
For the second-straight at bat, Wilson roped a double to left field. This one being a two-RBI bases clearing hit that extended Florida’s lead to 3-1.
Peterson put together a solid performance to quiet Nebraska’s offense over the next four innings until Swansen got the best of the freshman with a one-run homer to left field to cut the deficit to 3-2.
Junior right-handed pitcher Fisher Jameson came in to relieve Peterson after allowing two earned runs on four hits with seven strikeouts in 5.2 innings of work during his NCAA Tournament debut.
Florida needed to string together some much-needed insurance runs if they wished to pull away from Nebraska in the later innings as the Cornhuskers narrowly trailed.
The Gators have received inconsistent production from the bottom of their batting order this season but it was the eight-hole senior third baseman Dale Thomas who got the offense clicking in the top of the eighth inning.
After a leadoff single up the middle, the senior scored on an RBI single to right field from Kurland to give Florida a bit of wiggle room on the scoreboard with a 4-2 lead.
Wilson capped off his career four-hit outing for the Gators with a solo moonshot in the top of the ninth inning to left field which later set the stage for Neely in the bottom half of the frame.
Next, Florida will take on the winner of No. 1-seed Oklahoma State and No. 4-seed Niagara at 7 p.m. Saturday in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Contact Max Tucker at mtucker@alligator.org. Follow him on X @Max_Tuckr1.
Max Tucker is a junior transfer student at UF. After obtaining his A.A. in Journalism from Santa Fe College in 2023, he chose further his education at Florida's College of Journalism and Communications. Max is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Journalism with a specialization in sports and media. He enjoys golfing and going to the beach with his friends in his free time.
