John Paternoster
- Box Score
7
WinnerOKLAHOMA STATEOSU42-17
Winner
OKLAHOMA STATEOSU
42-17
7
Final
1
FLORIDAUF
29-28
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OKLAHOMA STATE OSU | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 11 | 1 |
| FLORIDA UF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
W: Holiday, Brian (7-3) L: Caglianone, Jac (5-2)
Game Recap: Baseball | | Scott Carter, Senior Writer
WHAT HAPPENED:Oklahoma State slugged five home runs and starter Brian Holiday tossed a two-hitter as the Cowboys beat the Gators, 7-1, Saturday night. The Gators managed only a double by Tyler Shelnut in the second inning and a Jac Caglianone solo home run in the bottom of the ninth against Holiday, a transfer from Central Florida Junior College. Caglianone started for the Gators and worked effectively around four solo homers, allowing seven hits and four runs over five innings. He struck out eight and walked two. When Caglianone departed, the Gators trailed 4-0 but were still in the game. However, Holiday made sure they never seriously threatened to come back by pitching a gem.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:A former standout at Land O' Lakes High north of Tampa, Holiday is the easy choice despite a pair of home runs by teammate Nolan Schubart. Holiday tossed his second consecutive complete game against a Florida school, allowing only one run in a win over UCF in the Big 12 Tournament. Holiday struck out 10 and walked one in a 131-pitch outing on Saturday, mixing in an assortment of breaking pitches with a fastball still being clocked in the mid-90s in the ninth inning.
STAGGERING STAT:UF lefty Caglianone stepped on the mound Saturday mostly untouched by the long ball, having given up just four home runs in 62 innings (0.58 per 9 IP). He gave up four to the Cowboys, and it appeared to be three consecutive in the first inning until umpires ruled fan interference on Aidan Meola's drive to left field, sending him back to second for a double.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Caglianone made history in the ninth when he hit his 30th home run of the season, taking Holiday over the center-field wall for a solo shot to put the Gators on the scoreboard. The homer made Caglianone the first player in Southeastern Conference history to hit 30 or more home runs in back-to-back seasons. He led the nation a season ago when he hit 33 home runs to help the Gators reach the College World Series.
KEY MOMENT:The Cowboys struck hard in the first inning when Schubart and Zach Ehrhard hit back-to-back home runs with two outs. That set the tone for the night and the Gators could never get their offense going against the right-handed Holiday. Schubart has homered in five consecutive games and has blasted 16 home runs in the last 18 games.
QUOTE OF NOTE: "Holiday was really, really good. Probably one of the most impressive starts I've seen in a long time. Sometimes you've just got to tip your cap. We just couldn't get anything going." — Gators coach Kevin O'Sullivan on Cowboys starter Brian Holiday
UP NEXT:The Gators face Nebraska in a rematch of their 5-2 in over the Cornhuskers on Friday. This time, it's an elimination game that starts at 2 p.m. ET, or 1 p.m. locally for those attending the Stillwater Regional.
NOTABLES
- Saturday night's official attendance was 5,593.
- In two-career regional starts, Caglianone has allowed four runs in 11 innings, allowing 11 hits and five walks.
- He has fanned 16 total batters in those two regional starts (vs. Florida A&M, vs. Oklahoma State).
- Caglianone extended his on-base streak to 43 straight contests with a ninth-inning homer – his 30th of the season.
- Caglianone has hit safely in 54 of 57 games while reaching safely in all but one contest.
- Caglianone is the first player in SEC history with multiple 30-homer seasons, doing so in back-to-back campaigns in 2023 and 2024.
- Robert Satin made his first appearance on the mound since March 26 vs. Florida State.
- Florida's scoring streak of 136 consecutive games is the third-longest in program history (May 27, 2022-present).
- The Gators are 130-86 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
- UF wields an 87-52 record across 39 NCAA Regional appearances.
- Florida is now 2-5 all-time vs. Oklahoma State (1-3 away).
- The Gators are 0-1 against the Cowboys under head coach Kevin O'Sullivan.
— Sullivan Bortner contributed to this report.
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