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LOOK: Florida Gators celebrate season-saving win vs Oklahoma on social media

Nikki Chavanelleby:Nikki Chavanelle•06/06/22•

NikkiChavanelle

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Samuel Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

On Sunday, the Florida Gators pulled off a season-saving double-header victory to continue their journey toward the 2022 College World Series. First taking down Central Michigan 6-5 in the afternoon, the Gators advanced to face the Oklahoma Sooners. With a tied ball game in the sixth inning at Condron Park, Florida added a run in the seventh and then four more in the eighth to take the win 7-2.

The Gators baseball Twitter account tweeted, “Won’t. Back. Down.” after the win, a callback to the Florida-Tom Petty tradition.

Florida is now 1-1 versus No. 9 Oklahoma in the Gainesville Regional. The two teams have to fight it out one more time to secure a trip to the Super Regional.

Gators freshman keeps hopes alive

Gators pitcher Carston Finnvold walked off of the mound as the hero of the must-win game. He threw nine innings with 116 pitches, allowing just five hits, two runs, and a win to keep his team alive. Prior to the SEC tournament, Finnvold wasn’t on the travel roster and spent several months watching his team compete on the road without him.

“That was probably one of the harder things I’ve dealt with in my baseball career,” Finnvold said after the game. “It’s pretty disheartening to watch your team play and you’re not there to help them out. I grew up a lot these last three months.”

The growth definitely paid off for the freshman from Boca Raton (Fla.), he even earned props from the opposing coach.

Oklahoma coach Skip Johnson seemed fairly upbeat after the defeat. He offered a peculiar frame of mind on the loss.

“This time of year is always made for a hero. No better opportunity for that young man on the other side,” Johnson said. “It was really, I hate to say it, but it was fun to watch.”

Florida will get a rematch with Oklahoma on Monday afternoon at 1 p.m. ET. The winner of that game punches their ticket to the Super Regional.