Florida and Wake Forest will play a third and deciding game in the NCAA Super Regional after the Demon Deacons beat the Gators 8-6 in 11 innings in Game 2 on Monday afternoon at McKethan Stadium.
Wake Forest (43-19) catcher Ben Breazeale hit a two-run homer off UF closer Michael Byrne to win the game in the bottom of the 11th. Wake Forest scored all eight of its runs on five home runs.
The Gators (46-18) came back to tie the score at 6 in the bottom of the 8th inning on a solo home run from catcher JJ Schwarz to force extra innings.
The suspended game resumed Monday afternoon with Florida trailing 5-4. The Gators tied the score at 5 on a sacrifice fly from Austin Langworthy, but Wake Forest went back in front 6-5 on a solo home run in seventh from third baseman Johnny Aiello.
Game 3 is scheduled to start at 4:14 p.m. and will air on ESPN2. Florida will be the home team.
Sophomore righty Brady Singer (7-5, 3.35 ERA) will start for the Gators. Singer pitched four innings of relief in UF’s 2-1 win in 11 innings Saturday night. Wake Forest will pitch righty John McCarren (5-3, 4.89 ERA).
The series winner will advance to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, where the winner will face TCU, this weekend. It’s the fifth CWS bid for the Horned Frogs (47-16), all since 2010. TCU, the No. 6 national seed, is looking for its first championship.
Cal State Fullerton, TCU, Florida State and LSU wrapped up their super regionals Sunday and clinched spots in the College World Series.
The Titans, Horned Frogs, Seminoles and Tigers will join No. 1 national seed Oregon State, No. 7 Louisville and Texas A&M in the CWS, which starts Saturday in Omaha, Nebraska.
The Gators, the third national seed, are trying to advance to Omaha for the third consecutive year and the sixth time in eight seasons.
It would be Wake Forest’s first trip to the CWS since 1955, the year it won the national title.
