Florida and LSU are battling in the College World Series final best-of-three series, and Monday night’s Game 1 features two of the best arms in the college game. The Tigers’ Russell Reynolds is pitching opposite the Gators’ Brady Singer, and runs will undoubtedly be at a premium with such hurlers on the bump.
Florida baserunner tagged out on extremely close call at second
Dalton Guthrie REALLY wanted this called the other way.
In the top of the first, Florida shortstop Dalton Guthrie managed to push a single through the right side, and he was followed by JJ Schwarz, who’s been streaky during the NCAA baseball tournament, despite wielding one of Florida’s biggest bats in the lineup.
So with two outs, Schwarz watched a Reynolds offering drop into the dirt before arriving at home plate, and LSU catcher Michael Papierski couldn’t glove it cleanly. That of course prompted Guthrie to haul ass in the direction of second base, and Papierski — with the ball in front of him and thus benefiting from the attendant forward momentum — immediately gunned him down.
That’s a very close call to make, and clearly Guthrie wanted it to go the other way. He vehemently disagreed with the umpire’s decision, groaning “no, no, no, no” as LSU ran off to the dugout.
An understandable reaction, especially given the high stakes of the CWS finals and the bang-bang nature of the play. In any case, that ended the Gators’ batting, and the two remain locked at 0-0 in the top of the second.
