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Going the distance: Finnvold’s magical night propels Gators to defeat of Oklahoma

The Gators found themselves in a very tough spot in the bottom of the first inning against Oklahoma on Sunday evening.

Sophomore southpaw Timmy Manning wasn’t able to recreate the special start that he turned in against Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament last week. He hit the first batter of the game and then walked back-to-back hitters to load the bases with nobody out.

Facing a win-or-go-home situation, coach Kevin O’Sullivan made the early call to the bullpen and brought in Carsten Finnvold to face one of the hottest offenses in the country. Finnvold had pitched all of nine innings in five appearances this season at the time, and 4 2/3 of those innings came in his surprisingly good start against Tennessee in the SEC Championship Game.