OMAHA, Neb. -- Nothing has been able to stop the Gators from winning of late on their mission to win the program's first national championship.
A case of the jitters appeared a threat Saturday night, but just as quickly, the jitters were gone and so was any chance of a Miami victory.
Florida senior third baseman Josh Tobias, who played in the College World Series as a true freshman in 2012, noticed some of the tell-tale signs of a young team in uncharted territory early in Saturday's 15-3 victory over the Hurricanes.
Sophomore starter Logan Shore, usually a control artist, hit Miami's Ricky Eusebio to lead off the game. Freshman second baseman Dalton Guthrie, a standout defensive player, committed an error on a play he usually makes. And freshman catcher Michael Rivera dropped a pop up in foul territory that he probably can catch with his eyes closed most days.
Before you knew it, the Gators trailed 2-0.
"I said to myself, 'they are a little nervous,' '' Tobias said. "In my freshman year here I was a little nervous. You're playing in front of 25,000 people, so it's natural. After the third inning we kind of settled down, got back into the swing of things, and that's what matters the most."
Did the Gators ever get back into the swing of things.
Florida arrived at the ballpark Saturday knowing runs can be hard to come by at spacious TD Ameritrade Park.
Home runs, even more difficult. No homers, no problem.
Florida didn't need any long balls to beat up their longtime in-state rivals in the nightcap on opening day here at the CWS.
The Gators scored 11 runs in the fourth inning to set a TD Ameritrade Park record for most runs in an inning, sending many in the crowd of 26,377 for the exits and Gators fans into a frenzy.
Florida's hit parade sent Hurricanes coach Jim Morris to the mound for multiple pitching changes.
"The fourth inning says everything about the game,'' Morris said. "Everything that could go wrong went wrong. A game like this is never much fun."
The Gators have an entirely different view of their most lopsided victory against Miami in 17 years.
"All the hitters in the lineup right now are feeling really confident, good about their swings,'' said freshman designated hitter JJ Schwarz, who went 2-for-4 with two RBIs. "You can tell just by the offensive production we've had lately and we're just trying to keep it rolling."
Florida trailed 2-1 as Tobias led off the fourth with a walk, its only run crossing the plate in the third when Rivera scored in the third on a balk by Miami ace Andrew Suarez. After Suarez needed only 16 pitches to set down the Gators in the first two innings, Gators coach Kevin O'Sullivan brought the team together in the dugout for a brief chat.
"We talked about it this morning that we needed to grind out at-bats and not give them quick innings,'' O'Sullivan said. "So our goal was to try to get his pitch count up. Certainly did not see an 11-run inning in the fourth. But, you know, I can't say enough about our approach there."
JJ Schwarz followed Tobias and hit a slow bouncer that Miami shortstop Brandon Lopez booted for his first error, and then threw wildly to first for his second error. Lopez's miscues gave the Gators runners at second and third with no outs.
Buddy Reed tied the game with an RBI single, and Florida took a 3-2 lead on Pete Alonso's RBI sacrifice fly.
After that, the Gators (50-16) took batting practice for the rest of the inning, chasing Suarez before taking their cuts against Hurricanes relievers Sam Abrams and Danny Garcia.
The Gators sent 16 batters to the plate, seven of them recorded hits, with Reed and Rivera each singling twice as the Gators blew open their first meeting in school history against Miami (49-16) in the CWS. The 12-run loss is the worst postseason defeat in school history for the Hurricanes.
"It was just one of those nights that we had one of those big innings,'' O'Sullivan said.
Meanwhile, Florida won its 10th consecutive postseason game and improved to 6-0 in the NCAA Tournament, outscoring opponents 68-15 over that span.
Florida starter Logan Shore wasn't his best -- a pair of RBI sacrifice flies by third baseman David Thompson gave the Hurricanes an early lead -- but Shore earned his third consecutive victory in the NCAA Tournament by limiting Miami to three runs over five innings. He struck out six and walked none.
The Gators face Virginia, a 5-3 winner over Arkansas in the first game Saturday, at 8 p.m. ET Monday in the winner's bracket. Four wins away from a national title, the Gators will attempt to keep their impressive winning streak alive.
"I like that everybody contributes,'' Tobias said. "Everybody is pulling their own weight. That's the best way for a team to win."
