College Softball World Series 2015: TV Schedule and Game 3 Finals Preview

Florida shocked the softball world in Game 1, handing Michigan its first loss since April 3. But with their backs against the wall arguably for the first time all season, the Wolverines showed they're not lacking for fight. 

Haylie Wagner threw a complete-game shutout, helping Michigan force a deciding Game 3 with a 1-0 victory Tuesday night. The Wolverines overcame a game effort from Florida starter Lauren Haeger, who allowed one run in the first inning before locking Michigan down the rest of the way.

Alonzo Adams/Associated Press

"We rebounded from last night," Michigan coach Carol Hutchins said, per Cliff Brunt of the Associated Press. "They got it together, our leadership got them together, and they came out here and they just played Michigan softball. They had great enthusiasm, and they had great heart."

Wagner has been downright dominant in the World Series, not allowing a single earned run in her 20 innings of work.

"When she stepped up on that mound today there was no doubt in my mind she was there to get the job done," Michigan All-American Sierra Romero said, per Graham Hayes of espnW. "And playing behind someone who is up there, you know, ready to attack—attack every batter—is awesome."

	Time	Network	Stream
Michigan vs. Florida	8 p.m. ET	ESPN	WatchESPN

The Wolverines and Gators will have to make huge decisions on their starters for Wednesday night. Wagner should be ready to go, given her relatively light night. Hutchins could also hand the ball to Game 1 starter Megan Betsa, the team's ace all season who has struggled of late. Betsa was perhaps the best pitcher in college softball all season, but Wagner's become the star of the postseason.

Per Mark Snyder of the Detroit Free Press, Hutchins said:

"

She appears to have some confidence problems, I would say. And we need our best confidence on the mound, I can tell you that. It's a long tournament, hopefully. We're here to get her confidence back. There's no reason not to have confidence at this point in the season. But it's been a tough week so far.

"

Alonzo Adams/Associated Press

Haeger should be on the mound again for the Gators, which is no surprise, considering how well she threw Tuesday. The Florida star allowed a single by Kelsey Susalla to knock in a run in the first inning, but she was otherwise dominant.

Haeger should also be rested after sitting for the entirety of Game 1. Florida coach Tim Walton's move to use Aleshia Ocasio and Delanie Gourley now seems prescient, as if he knew he'd be needing his ace for a deciding contest. 

"I think it's going to be a little different for me," Haeger said, per Brunt. "I'll try to do what I do every day, but be a little more competitive. I obviously want to win my last game in a Gator uniform—that means a lot to me. I just want to leave it all out there on the field and not play scared."

Of course, Florida is looking to become just the third school in history to capture back-to-back national championships. UCLA and Arizona, arguably the two most storied softball programs in history, are the only other schools to pull off the feat.

Alonzo Adams/Associated Press

Michigan, meanwhile, is looking for its first championship in a decade. The Wolverines captured the first title of the best-of-three format in 2005, their only triumph in program history. Both programs will be in line for their second championships overall.

Since the three-game format's implementation, the team that has won Game 2 has gone on to win the championship each time. (Note: That includes teams that won in a sweep.) All of that is good news for Michigan, which came into the World Series as the favorite and was shocked by Florida's young pitchers in Game 2.

With Haeger on the mound Wednesday, Florida has a good chance of breaking the Game 3 curse. But as Michigan proved in Game 2, it has enough pitching of its own to put up a fight.