Tigers Roar Past The Gators In Game 1

Cade Beloso hit a solo home run in the 11th inning. LSU reliever Riley Cooper held off Florida in the bottom half of the inning for another dramatic, 4-3 win in game 1 of the best of 3 national title series in front of 25,258 at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha Saturday night. Tommy “Tanks” White’s solo home run in the eighth tied the game 3-3. LSU (53-16) will go for its seventh national title on Sunday (2 p.m., ESPN) and first under two-year coach Jay Johnson. No. 2 seed Florida (53-16) must win Sunday to force a Monday night game for the national title. The1 run game was the eighth of this World Series, tying the all-time record.

“It came down to one pitch,” Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan said of Beloso’s home run off Florida closer Brandon Neely’s fastball.

“It’s one pitch that completely changes the game,” said Florida catcher BT Riopelle, whose two-out home run in the sixth put the Gators up 3-2. “Tonight was a perfect example of that.”

“I grew up in New Orleans,” Beloso said. “I wanted to be Mikey Mahtook and Ryan Schimpf and Jared Mitchell.”

They played on LSU’s last national championship team in 2009.

“I watched the highlights of the 2009 national championship on repeat on YouTube when I was a kid,” Beloso said. “This means the world to me – just being in Omaha, and two playing for a national championship.”

LSU starter Ty Floyd was in the groove against the potent Gator bats, he struck out 17 – the second most in CWS history. He allowed five hits and three runs with one walk over eight innings. Cooper (5-3) allowed one hit in three innings for the win.

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