With the strongest offensive showing thus far in the NCAA Division I Baseball Regonals, the Florida Gators absolutely upended the Manhattan Jaspers 17-3 on the strength of three home runs and a five-RBI performance from Preston Tucker.
It was a dominating performance on par with a lopsided match-up even on paper. Florida is a strong No. 1 seed while Manhattan managed a decent 35-17 record against inferior competition. Starting pitcher John Soldinger was torched from the start, going only two innings but allowing 16 hits and 15 runs in the process. Even after the first inning, the game was seemingly over.
Florida SP Karsten Whitson pitched three-plus solid innings and displayed the ability that made him a Top 10 draft pick of the San Diego Padres last year. Tucker’s 2 home runs provided enough offense, although memorable performances were found throughout the line-up, including four hits apiece from Tyler Thompson and Daniel Pigott.