College World Series Finals 2023: LSU Routs Florida 18-4 to Win 7th National Title

The men's College World Series came down to a decisive Game 3 on Monday, as LSU prevailed over Florida with an emphatic 18-4 win to become the 2023 NCAA champions. It's the seventh national title for the Tigers, the second-most all-time behind USC's 12.

Florida starter Jac Caglianone opened the game by hitting LSU leadoff hitter Cade Beloso with his first pitch, but he settled down with back-to-back strikeouts to end the top of the first inning.

LSU starter Thatcher Hurd, on the other hand, allowed a leadoff single to Cade Kurland before Wyatt Langford launched a two-run homer to give the Gators an early advantage.

However, the Tigers were able to answer the very next inning when Jordan Thompson broke out of a 1-for-30 slump with an RBI single that plated Gavin Dugas. After Caglianone walked the bases loaded, Beloso was hit by a pitch for the second time, which allowed Brayden Jobert to score and tie the game.

Dylan Crews was then walked on five pitches, and Cagilanone was yanked for left-hander Cade Fisher. Tommy White welcomed Fisher by hitting an RBI single, Tre' Morgan followed with a sac fly and Dugas added another RBI single to cap the six-run inning.

From there, Hurd settled in and pitched five straight scoreless innings with no other hits allowed before being pulled from the game at the start of the seventh. The sophomore finished with seven strikeouts. Crews helped him out with a great play in center field in the third.

While the Gators' bats went silent, the Tigers broke the game open with four runs in the fourth inning. LSU's barrage was highlighted by Josh Pearson's two-run blast.

The Tigers tacked on some insurance runs in the later innings, but the game was already decided. Jobert capped off a magical evening for LSU with a two-run homer in the ninth.

Ty Evans and Kurland added solo home runs for the Gators late, but they simply couldn't keep up with the Tigers. Evans became the first player to hit five home runs in a single College World Series.

The LSU baseball team joined the women's basketball team as national champions this season.

The series reached this point after LSU took Saturday's Game 1 in an 11-inning thriller and Florida won Sunday's Game 2 in a blowout, scoring a College World Series-record 24 runs.

But in the end, it was the Tigers who hoisted the trophy on Monday night, capping an exciting 2022-23 NCAA baseball season.