Utilizing the opener strategy worked wonders for the Gators in their series opener against Ole Miss on Thursday night, as Franco Aleman pitched the first four innings with usual starter Tommy Mace closing out the final five. The opener part worked out for Florida in Game 2 on Friday night, as Christian Scott delivered a bend-but-don’t-break performance. However, Jack Leftwich, who would be starting this game under normal circumstances, didn’t perform well.
He allowed six runs in the final two innings as the Rebels broke a game that had been close most of the way wide open. The Gators had no hope of recovering, and after an 8-2 win, the series is even at one game apiece.
Scott put away the first two batters he faced, but he got into some trouble in the latter part of the first inning. After allowing a double, a single from Tim Elko on the next at-bat scored the game’s first run. Mississippi scored its second run in the following inning when Calvin Harris hit an RBI single.
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The Gators struggled to hit off Ole Miss starter Doug Nikhazy in the first inning, but it managed some unorthodox offense in the second. Jordan Butler reached base on a walk, and he advanced to third after a throwing error. Kris Armstrong hit a single that scored him later in the frame, allowing UF to get a run back.
The defenses took over after that for a bit. The two teams combined for just two hits over the next four innings, and the scoreboard didn’t change. That is, until the bottom of the seventh inning, when Jud Fabian finally ended his cold streak with a game-tying home run.
However, Leftwich (who had played well in the sixth and seventh innings) lost control in the eighth. He gave up a single to lead off the frame, and a home run from Jacob Gonzalez put the Rebels back up by two runs. Florida went three up, three down in the bottom of the eighth, and things just got worse for Leftwich at the top of the ninth.
He gave up a single and a walk to his first two batters, and an RBI single from Peyton Chatagnier made the Ole Miss lead 6-2. It wasn’t done though, as Gonzalez added his third and fourth RBIs of the game with a single to stretch the lead to six.
Whatever chance Florida had at a comeback was quickly stuffed in the ninth, as Taylor Broadway struck out Kirby McMullen, Butler and Fabian in order, clinching his seventh save of the season. Though the opener strategy got it a win in Game 1, another disappointing performance from Leftwich threw a wrench into things on Friday night. Still, the Gators have the chance to take a series win against the third-ranked Rebels in the rubber match on Saturday.
Usual Game 3 starter Hunter Barco is expected to take the mound in that one with first pitch set for 1 p.m. EDT. Florida will try to win its second SEC series of the season while handing the Rebels their first series loss (and just their second loss overall) in conference play.
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