OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Brady Singer struck out a career-high 12 in seven innings, Jonathan India doubled in two runs, and Florida beat LSU 4-3 in Game 1 of the College World Series finals Monday night.
The Gators (51-19) need a win today or Wednesday to earn their first national championship in baseball.
Singer's strikeout total was highest by a single pitcher in a CWS finals game. Singer (9-5) limited LSU (52-19) to three singles before Antoine Duplantis homered in the sixth. He left after Greg Deichmann doubled leading off the eighth.
Florida led 3-0 after LSU starter Russell Reynolds (1-2) issued three straight walks in the fourth, with India driving in two runs on a ground-rule double.
Down 4-2 and with fans clad in purple and gold chanting "L-S-U, L-S-U," the Tigers threatened in the eighth. Josh Smith sent a ball into the right-center gap to drive in a run.
But he was thrown out trying for second by Nick Horvath, who entered as a pinch runner in the top of the eighth and stayed in the game as the center fielder.
LSU - playing its fourth game in six days and without Eric Walker due to an injury - turned to the seldom-used Reynolds to start. The fifth-year senior gave the Tigers three solid innings in his first start since March 2015.
He got a groundout to start the fourth but then walked three straight. Coach Paul Mainieri called on left-hander Nick Bush, and Reynolds got a nice hand from LSU fans as he went into the dugout.
Florida took a 3-0 lead when Dalton Guthrie tagged up on Austin Langworthy's foul out, and two more runs came home when India's drive to deep center bounced over the fence for a ground-rule double.
The Tigers pulled within a run in the sixth. Antoine Duplantis went deep into the right-field bullpen for his second homer of the season, and Beau Jordan singled in a run to make it 3-2.