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Florida Gators shortstop Dalton Guthrie had a rough night in the Gators’ 3-0 win over TCU on Saturday night, the one that secured the Gators passage to the College World Series championship series that began on Monday. He hurt his back running through first base on a groundout early in the game, and had to be replaced in what could have been his final collegiate game.
But he’s in uniform for Florida on this Monday — and in his return to the lineup and the field, he made arguably one of the great defensive plays in Gators history.
A man on a mission. #SCtop10 pic.twitter.com/zzsOThmsWh
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 27, 2017
Dalton Guthrie and the web gems never stop #Gators pic.twitter.com/f39nKUBhO9
— Grace Remington (@Grace_Remi) June 27, 2017
D is for Dalton!!!
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAACWS) June 27, 2017
Florida's slick fielding shortstop makes an absolutely ridiculous catch in foul territory!! #SCTop10 #CWS pic.twitter.com/5d3WIQAjs1
That lunging catch in foul ground after a 50-foot run recalls some of the best web work I’ve ever seen from a shortstop — a certain diving Derek Jeter catch comes to mind — and it helped the Gators get out of a third inning that began with the first leadoff single of the night for LSU.
Guthrie got the second out of the inning on that catch, and helped Brady Singer extinguish the best threat the Tigers have yet had in this game.