GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA - Florida needed a victory and a confidence boost. Bethune-Cookman wasn't about to stand in the way. <br>
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Led by a grand slam from Pat Osborn, and helped by eight errors from Bethune-Cookman, the Gators won 21-10 Saturday night to stay alive in the NCAA regionals. <br>
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The top-seeded Gators (45-18) set a school record for most runs in the postseason. They need two victories Sunday over defending national champion Miami to advance to the Super Regional and play for a spot in the College World Series. <br>
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Earlier on Saturday, Miami beat Florida 7-2 to advance to the final. <br>
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``I liked the way we regained our composure,'' Gators coach Pat McMahon said. ``We swung the bats and really expanded.'' <br>
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Fourth-seeded Bethune-Cookman (39-22) played until 1 a.m. the previous day, then had to be up at 9 a.m. on Saturday for an early elimination game. <br>
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The brutal schedule showed: The Wildcats committed four errors in the first innings to help Florida to a 4-0 lead. <br>
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``There was nothing left in the tank,'' coach Mervyl Melendez said. ``When you see your best guys out there making mistakes like that, it shows something's wrong. We just didn't have enough.'' <br>
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Ryan Shealy (3-for-3) and Mario Garza also hit home runs for the Gators, who needed only 16 hits to break their postseason scoring record (16 runs vs. Richmond in 1997). Osborne's grand slam in the fifth put Florida ahead 16-5. <br>
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Could the outburst help Florida's mindset for Sunday? <br>
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``Every game is it's own separate deal,'' Shealy said. ``We're just glad to be alive.'' <br>
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Jimmy Ramshaw (6-3) got the victory despite allowing eight runs in 5 1-3 innings. McMahon kept Ramshaw in the game as long as he could, because he knows Florida will need as many fresh pitchers as possible Sunday. Miami advances with one win Sunday, but the Gators need to win twice. <br>
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``We've got a scripted plan for the pitchers,'' McMahon said. ``We're going to use the entire staff. We'll mix and match. I'm looking forward to seeing if guys can step forward.'' <br>
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Trailing 6-0, the Wildcats got a two-RBI single from Wes Timmons and a two-RBI double from Oscar Folks as part of a five-run third inning. <br>
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``It was nice to see we didn't give up that we came back and made it interesting for a while,'' Melendez said. <br>
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But Florida came back with five runs in the fourth, five more in the fifth and another five in the seventh. <br>
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Jason Dooley (9-6) took the loss for the Wildcats.
