Kevin O'Sullivan addresses CWS blunder following win over Oral Roberts

Florida baseball coach Kevin O’Sullivan isn’t making any excuses after his late mistake allowed Oral Roberts a chance at a comeback Sunday in a College World Series matchup. With the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, O’Sullivan made a mound visit to speak with pitcher Brandon Neely.

However, the Gators were apparently out of pitching visits and, as a result, were forced to pull Neely and put in freshman Cade Fisher. That resulted in O’Sullivan and Florida sweating it out more than they would have liked before ultimately escaping with a 5-4 victory.

O’Sullivan addressed his blunder postgame, 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.”

Fisher got the Gators out of a jam by securing the third out immediately after entering as they escaped the scary situation with a 5-3 lead heading into the ninth. However, their worries were far from over.

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 in the Florida dugout.

Drew Stahl then drove in another run on a fielder’s choice to cut the Florida advantage to 5-4. 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 O’Sullivan 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.