OMAHA, Neb. -- Defending College World Series champion Florida had a rough start to its title defense, and so did ace pitcher and first-round draft pick Brady Singer as the Gators were upset 6-3 by Texas Tech on Sunday at TD Ameritrade Park.
The junior right-hander allowed nine hits -- which matched a season-high -- five runs (two earned) and struck out just five batters to take only his second loss of the season.
Singer (12-2), who was taken 18th overall in the MLB draft by the Kansas City Royals, didn't get much help from the Gators' defense. A fourth-inning passed ball opened the door for Texas Tech's first run, and a two-out error in the fifth inning later allowed Texas Tech to capitalize with a Gabe Holt two-RBI single, making Singer's first three runs allowed unearned.
Florida (47-20) has committed 16 errors in its last 11 games.
In the sixth inning, the Red Raiders (45-18) made strong contact off Singer, scoring two runs on four hits. Singer, who won the Dick Howser Trophy -- which goes to the nation's top baseball player -- exited the game in the seventh inning after 99 pitches, with the Gators trailing 5-1.
"They were battling," Singer said of the Red Raiders. "They had a good approach. I left some pitches up. I could have done better on that. But they're a good swinging ballclub, and at the end of the day ... they battled."
Singer's five strikeouts were tied for the second-fewest he has had in a game this season. He has allowed nine hits on two other occasions this season. Last season, Singer picked up two wins in the College World Series, allowing only four runs in 14 innings.
The Red Raiders said they didn't come into the game with a different approach for Singer than anyone else they faced.
"We were told to treat him as an amateur; he's not in the pros yet, he's not a big leaguer," shortstop Michael Davis said. "None of us are big leaguers. Go out there and enjoy it, and that's what we did. We played loose."
Texas Tech pitcher Ryan Shetter picked up the win for the Red Raiders after allowing one run and striking out seven in 4 1/3 innings of relief of starter Dylan Dusek. Shetter's seven strikeouts are the most by a Texas Tech pitcher in the College World Series.
The Gators will now have a challenging road in their title defense, having to proceed in the CWS loser's bracket. In the last 37 years, only three teams have lost their opening game in Omaha and come back to win the championship, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Florida entered the weekend as co-favorites with Oregon State; both teams lost their openers. South Carolina was the last team to bounce back from a CWS-opening loss to win a title, doing so in 2010.
"It's not impossible," Florida coach Kevin O'Sullivan said. "It's certainly doable."
Texas Tech will face Arkansas, an 11-5 winner over Texas, on Tuesday in a winner's bracket game (7 p.m. ET, ESPN). Florida will face Texas in an elimination game Tuesday (2 p.m. ET, ESPN).