Florida Baseball gets first of four needed wins in a row after beating NC State

And, breathe. Florida Baseball is still alive after beating North Carolina State in a nailbiter Monday afternoon. Florida struck for four in the second after a Cade Kurland sac fly and an absolute missile of a three-run home run from Jac Caglianone. After that, they scratched one more across in the fifth and managed to hang on to a one-run lead, thanks in large part to Brandon Neely, who has been nothing short of excellent this postseason.

The Gators struggled for the most part at the plate today, but struck when it mattered. Caglianone and Tyler Shelnut both homered to combine for four of Florida's five RBI. Michael Robertson continued his hot streak from the bottom of the order, as he was the only Gator with a multi-hit game.

On the mound, Florida was very good. Caglianone got the start but was pulled after just an inning of work, so Cade Fisher came in. Other than giving up a two-run home run to NC State star Alec Makarewicz, Fisher did a decent job and ate up some important innings for the Gators. Jake Clemente then came in and got three outs before giving up a leadoff walk in the seventh, and then it was Neely time. The veteran reliever came in and delivered yet again, finishing with a line of 3 IP, 1 hit, 6 strikeouts, and most importantly, zero runs.

What's Next?

Florida awaits the loser of Texas A&M vs. Kentucky. That game will take place Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Should the Gators win tomorrow night, they would have to beat the winner of A&M-Kentucky twice. Basically, the Gators need to win three in a row from here to get back to the championship series for a second straight season. It won't be easy, but if we've learned anything from this team in the past month, it's that they can really play with their backs against the wall.