Florida forced to pull Brandon Neely after making too many mound visits

Florida baseball coach Kevin O’Sullivan made a potentially costly mistake in the eighth inning of Sunday’s College World Series game against Oral Roberts. With the bases loaded and two outs, O’Sullivan made his way out to the mound to chat with pitcher Brandon Neely.

The only problem was that the Gators had already used up all their mound visits for the game. As a result, they were forced to pull Neely and put in freshman Cade Fisher.

Florida’s closer, Neely entered the game since the seventh inning. Fisher got the Gators out of a jam by securing the third out immediately after entering as they escaped a scary situation with a 5-3 lead heading into the ninth.

The pressure wouldn’t end there, however, as the Golden Eagles again loaded the bases in the ninth inning. Matt Hogan got on base first with a double and Mac McCroskey singled shortly after to join him. After that, Fisher walked Holden Breeze as the cameras panned to a nervous O’Sullivan sweating it out from the Florida dugout.

Drew Stahl then drove in another run on a fielder’s choice to cut the Florida advantage to 5-4 and at that point it looked like ORU was headed toward another late-game miracle. With runners on first and third and two outs, all eyes were on Jacob Godman as he stepped up to face Fisher. He hit a ball to deep center that was ultimately caught as Gators fans, players and coaches alike breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Fisher finished the game with the save, allowing two hits and a run across 1.1 innings. Although one could argue it was valuable experience for the freshman, Florida certainly would have been much more comfortable had Neely been able to stay in.

Regardless, a win is a win, and it’s likely much easier for the Gators to move on considering the result. The Gators now get a couple of days off before their next matchup on Wednesday, with the opponent still yet to be determined.

Kevin O’Sullivan addresses mound visit mistake

O’Sullivan addressed the late mistake with his team after the game. The coach apologized for his error, owning up to it and taking full blame.

“Kevin O’Sullivan says the pitching visit issue was entirely his fault and he apologized to the Florida team after the game,” D1Baseball’s Kendall Rogers tweeted. “He also said the players said they had his back. Pretty wild night at the College World Series.”

With the game now behind them and the win in hand, the Gators will focus on moving forward through the remainder of the College World Series. They are one of three teams who have yet to lose, and can punch their ticket to the finals with another victory.