CLEMSON, S.C. — Some moments hang around longer than others and linger over a baseball game like a threatening storm cloud eager to spoil a day at the beach.
There was an instant like that Saturday afternoon at raucous Kingsmore Stadium. A festive mood had permeated the ballpark for the first four innings as the host Tigers struck early and led the visiting Gators in the first game of the Clemson Super Regional.
Tristan Smith, the Clemson sophom*ore lefty, was cruising along when he walked Florida's No. 9-hole hitter, Michael Robertson, to open the top of the fifth. Cade Kurland followed with a single, sending Robertson racing to third. That brought Gators slugger Jac Caglianone to the plate.
A Clemson fan sitting nearby voiced what others among the sold-out crowd were undoubtedly thinking.
"This guy is scary,'' he said. "They might want to walk him."
Clemson coach Erik Bakich addressed that line of thought afterward.
"We could have intentionally walked him, but that wasn't really the opportunity to intentionally walk him,'' Bakich said. "First and third, there are no outs; you don't intentionally walk there."
As Caglianone took his practice cuts before stepping into the batter's box, Tigers pitching coach Jimmy Belanger huddled with Smith and the infield to discuss the plan. Smith's first pitch was a breaking ball for a strike when play resumed. His second pitch was the one Florida fans won't forget anytime soon.
Caglianone drilled an outside fastball 338 feet into a steady breeze and left-field stands to lift the Gators into the lead in a 10-7 comeback victory. He said he knew it was gone as soon as he made contact, raising his bat with his right arm and tossing it toward the Florida dugout.
A 4-2 deficit vanished in one swing, replaced by a 5-4 lead.
The blast was the 72nd of Caglianone's career and perhaps his most memorable.
"A go-ahead homer in Supers, not at home in enemy territory, is always a really cool feeling,'' Caglianone said as he walked toward the team bus, a big grin on his face and beads of sweat glistening on his forehead. "It was surreal. Off the bat, you're like, 'I definitely got that one.' I took my time to kind of celebrate and watch it, but we had to stay on task."
Following Caglianone's momentum-shifting swing, the rejuvenated Gators added four more runs in the inning to take a comfortable 9-4 lead. The rest was left to relievers Fisher Jameson and Brandon Neely. Jameson replaced starter Liam Peterson with two on and nobody out in the second inning and got out of the trouble with minimal damage. He tossed four innings before Neely took over in the sixth with two on, nobody out, and Florida in front 9-5.
Neely retired all three batters he faced in the inning, but Clemson scored twice on outs, a sacrifice fly by Jacob Hinderleider and an RBI groundout by Blake Wright. Those would be the last Tigers runs.
Neely, six days after a spectacular 5 2/3-scoreless innings outing with the Gators facing elimination against Oklahoma State in the Stillwater (Okla.) Regional, retired 11 of 13 batters he faced Saturday, striking out seven.
When he struck out Tigers catcher Jimmy Obertop to end the game, the Gators were one win from a return trip to the College World Series.
"Neely is their best bullpen arm, and he showed why,'' Bakich said. "He was really spotting the fastball and the slider. He did a nice job and held us down."
The Gators have received contributions from young and old, from starters and subs during their unlikely NCAA Tournament run. It seemed fitting that two of the team's most important pieces — Caglianone and Neely — delivered Saturday on the biggest stage to date.
Gators coach Kevin O'Sullivan has seen it before. In Game 1, he had to wait longer than he would have liked.
"It wasn't quite the start we wanted,'' he said. "I felt like we were a little bit on our heels. Once we took the lead, I think guys kind of settled in."
They have Caglianone to thank for that.
Nothing the 6-foot-6, 250-pound two-way standout does surprises Neely at this point. They have been teammates for three years and played essential roles in last season's run to Omaha.
"It just goes to show that's why he is one of the best players in the country,'' Neely said. "That's what makes a good player, being able to come up in those situations and perform."
Caglianone's three-run homer, his 32nd of the season, deserved headliner status for how it turned around the game and silenced the crowd. O'Sullivan was quick to praise Neely for his clutch performance, too.
The junior right-hander has allowed only two hits and struck out 18 over his last two outings (a combined 9 2/3 innings).
"I've seen it before,'' O'Sullivan said. "We made that run last year, and he was one of the main reasons we got there. We can go to him at any point."
The Gators will turn to Caglianone on the mound Sunday in Game 2. When asked afterward if the plan was to pitch Caglianone, O'Sullivan turned to the big left-hander to see his answer.
Caglianone shook his head yes.
He announced his presence in Game 1 with his bat. If you were there, you wouldn't forget it.
"Caglianone's home run was huge," Bakich said. "He did what great players do. He got a big hit."
In the postgame press conference, someone asked Caglianone if he had extra motivation for being excluded as one of the three finalists for the Golden Spikes Award, given annually to the nation's top college baseball player. On Friday, Oregon State's Travis Bazzana, Georgia's Charlie Condon, and Arkansas pitcher Hagen Smith were announced as the finalists.
This time, his answer was no.
"I don't really care about the outside stuff like that,'' he said. "I just want to keep winning ballgames as long as I can with this team."
One more win, and he can pack for Omaha.
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