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Dunnellon graduate Boss

Senior pitcher delivers for pivotal Gators victory.

By CRISTINA LEDRA
Published June 29, 2005

Though the University of Florida Gators didn't return to Gainesville with a national championship from the College World Series, the experience was a memorable one for Dunnellon graduate Tommy Boss.

The senior pitcher had a clutch performance Thursday in a Gators win over Arizona State that gave Florida a series berth. The Gators were eliminated by Texas in two games.

Boss had to come in to pitch 52/3 innings after starter Alan Horne went down with an injury. Boss allowed just four hits, striking out one and walking one.

Boss was on the mound just four days before in a victory over Nebraska, but he was eager to help after Horne's early exit.

"That was a first time I had come in in relief since the beginning of my career (at Florida)," Boss said. "It was fun to come out and do that again."

Boss said he had spoken with coach Pat McMahon earlier that day about possibly throwing in the Arizona State game.

Boss said he was ready to go despite a short rest period and that fatigue didn't start to set in until late in the game. He faced only two more than the minimum number of batters.

"I started getting tired toward the end, but it was just so amazing to come in. I was really excited," Boss said.

"I had all four of my pitches hitting the strike zone, and I was working hard to get ahead of their guys," he said.

The high-pressure situation was a familiar one to Boss by the time the Arizona State contest came around. Besides pitching against Nebraska, he worked against Florida State during the super regionals.

Boss didn't have time to rest and help the Gators again when they played Texas, though he says if the coaches had asked him to pitch in either game, he would have despite his soreness. If Florida had a game Monday or Tuesday, Boss would have started.

Yet just being able to go to Omaha once before he graduated and get all the way to the national championship series was a great way to end his college career, Boss said. His parents, Tom and Brenda, joined him during the trip, as did a lot of other team parents.

"It was just a great experience. There were a lot of fun things to do," Boss said. "It was everything I could have hoped for."

Boss has no immediate plans but is hoping to sign a contract with a major-league team sometime this week.

--Cristina Ledra can be reached at 352 564-3623 or cledra@sptimes.com

[Last modified June 29, 2005, 01:18:19]