Florida hammers LSU 24–4 to send MCWS to Game 3

Wyatt Langford racked up six RBIs while going 5-for-5 from the plate and two teammates posted five RBIs apiece as the Florida Gators dominated the LSU Tigers in a 24–4 victory on Sunday, June 25, in the second game of the men’s College World Series in Omaha, Neb.

The series, now tied a game apiece after LSU took Game 1 on Saturday (4–3 in 11 innings), will be decided Monday night with the Gators batting as the home team.

Florida, which hit six home runs, set the MCWS record for total runs, tied the mark with 23 hits, and came one short of the record for the largest margin of victory at the series.

The Gators (54–16) exploded for six runs in a decisive third inning to grab a 7–3 lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Ty Evans, who finished with five RBIs and two home runs, cleared the bases with a grand slam down the left-field line that scored Luke Heyman, Josh Rivera, and Jac Caglianone.

Previously, Cade Kurland had scored on a Caglianone single and Langford reached home on a Rivera single.

Blake Purnell (2–0), who gave up no hits or runs in a relief appearance over 1 2/3 innings, earned the win. LSU starter Nate Ackenhausen (3–1) took the loss after surrendering six runs on five hits.

LSU (53–17) had built a 3–1 lead on a first-inning Gavin Dugas RBI double as well as a Tommy White RBI single and Tre’ Morgan RBI flyout, both occurring in the second.

Dylan Crews went 2-for-3 and scored twice for LSU.

Florida tacked on five runs in the sixth to pad the lead. Langford hammered a three-run homer before Caglianone, who had five RBIs and two home runs, made it back-to-back home runs with his own blast. Rivera, who reached on a fielding error, later scored on a Tyler Shelnut single up the middle.

The Gators blew the game further open with runs in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings.

Langford got Kurland home with a double to left in the seventh, then he made it to third on a passed ball and eventually scored on a groundout.

In the eighth, Langford was again a thorn in LSU’s side, scoring Evans and Shelnut on an RBI double before scoring himself on Caglianone’s homer to right.

Shelnut scored again on an error in the ninth, leading to a Colby Halter RBI single and a two-RBI single from Deric Fabian.

Florida also scored in the second on an Evans solo homer and in the fourth when Kurland scored on a throwing error.

LSU plated its final run when Brayden Jobert homered in the ninth.