GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Gators head coach Kevin O'Sullivan finally was able to relax following a tense NCAA Tournament opener on Friday night.

When he arrived at the postgame press conference after Florida's 10-6 win over Marist, O'Sullivan credited the guy to his right for playing an instrumental role.

This is the time of year when closer Michael Byrne should expect to hear from O'Sullivan regularly, and if all goes well, perhaps join him in more postgame media sessions.

"Michael came in a little bit earlier than he usually does,'' O'Sullivan said.

The Gators needed every one of Byrne's 25 pitches to avoid a potential upset and drop into the losers bracket. Instead, Byrne dominated to extend his school record for saves to 15.

With the Gators nursing a 7-6 lead in the seventh inning and the tying run on base, O'Sullivan did not wait to see if reliever Frank Rubio, who had just allowed a one-out single to Tyler Kapuscinski, could get out of the inning.

He popped from the dugout and headed toward the mound, calling on Byrne to close out the Red Foxes in the second game of the Gainesville Regional.

"There was no choice. I thought the game was on the line at that point,'' O'Sullivan said. "They had built up some momentum in their dugout. It worked out perfect. He was very efficient and did a really nice job."

Byrne retired the first six batters he faced and after Greg Kocinski's one-out single in the ninth, Byrne got Andrew Rouse to hit into a game-ending double play as Florida won its seventh consecutive regional game dating back to 2015.



The eight-out save was the second-longest of Byrne's career, surpassed only by a 3 2/3-inning effort against Florida State on March 28. He struck out three.

Florida advanced to face USF on Saturday. The Bulls, who defeated the Gators 15-10 at McKethan Stadium last month, beat Bethune-Cookman 9-1 in Friday's early game.

Marist earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament by winning the Metro Atlantic Conference Tournament and immediately showed they had no intentions of just playing the role of a pushover. The Red Foxes took an early 1-0 lead off Florida starter Jackson Kowar in the second.

The Gators responded with a four-run second, highlighted by a two-run single by designated hitter Mike Rivera. Florida stretched its lead to 5-1 but Kowar kept running into trouble, some his own making and some as a result of three UF errors.

Rubio replaced Kowar with one out in the sixth and gave up a double to Tyler Kirkpatrick followed by a two-run single to Randy Taveras. However, Rubio got out of the inning with Florida still leading by a run, but when the tying run reached in the seventh, Byrne entered to quiet Marist's offense.

Byrne instantly changed the game's dynamic with his sharp slider.

"He had a great tempo and really commanded the zone from the start,'' Marist coach Chris Tracz said. "He didn't really allow us at any time to get comfortable."

A close game turned into a comfortable one for the Gators in the eighth when JJ Schwarz hit a three-run homer. It was Schwarz's sixth home run in 19 career NCAA Tournament games.

"I just knew my first few at-bats of the game were not my best at-bats,'' Schwarz said. "They are a really good ballclub. They fought really hard. I think that was big just to get those cushion runs at the end."

O'Sullivan certainly appreciated a little extra breathing room. He also left the ballpark knowing that Byrne would be available again Saturday if needed.

Not a bad way to start the Road to Omaha. The guy to O'Sullivan's right saved the first win.

"He's like a starter who for the most part, needs to get three or four outs,'' O'Sullivan said. "He can throw all three pitches for strikes. Our team has a lot of confidence in him. He's had a phenomenal year for us."