Florida was back on the field Tuesday night after a huge win in its weekend series over No. 2 Vanderbilt. Now ranked as the No. 10 team in the country, the Gators struggled early in their midweek game against Stetson, finding themselves down two runs after just half an inning. But UF’s lineup came through with 12 hits in a 9-6 home win over the Hatters.
Freshman pitcher Timmy Manning earned the start on the mound for Florida (31-13). He entered this game with just 12 2/3 innings pitched on the season, and this was not one of his better appearances.
He gave up a home run to lead off the game to Stetson’s Andrew MacNeil, a Gainesville native. The Hatters (23-18) got another one off of Manning on a shot to right-center field from Hernen Sardinas later in the inning, and the Gators found themselves in an early hole.
They wouldn’t stay down for long, though, as Kirby McMullen led off the bottom of the second with a walk, and a double from Sterlin Thompson brought him home. With two outs in the inning, Colby Halter and Jacob Young notched a pair of RBI base hits to take the lead. Stetson starter Bret Neilan’s night came to an end after just 1 2/3 innings pitched.
But Manning wouldn’t stay in the game much longer. He quickly loaded the bases at the top of the third with a single and two walks, causing coach Kevin O’Sullivan to pull him for Trey Van Der Weide. He started off with a strikeout, but he couldn’t keep the Hatters completely at bay as a single on the next at-bat scored a run, though a throwout at home prevented the second run from coming across and ended the inning. Still, the game was tied yet again.
After stranding three on base in the third inning, Florida loaded the bases in the fourth on three walks with just one out. It retook the lead off a sac-fly from Kris Armstrong, though that was all the Gators got as they left two runners on base. It was in the fifth inning, though, that UF really took control.
Thompson led off with a single and stole second. He then advanced to third on a balk from Stetson’s Anthony DeFabbia. Josh Rivera made the Hatters pay on an RBI single, and that was just the beginning. A fielder’s choice from Halter put two outs on the board, but Young singled, and a subsequent double from Nate Hickey scored two more runs. Austin Amaral came in for DeFabbia after that, but a double from Jud Fabian put a fourth run across in the inning, stretching UF’s lead to 8-3.
Despite pitching cleanly through the fifth, O’Sullivan subbed David Luethje in for Van Der Weide at the top of the sixth. Van Der Weide earned a win for his efforts, moving his record to 2-1 on the year. He allowed three hits and no runs in 2 2/3 innings pitched.
Luethje walked a batter in the sixth but otherwise had no issues. In the seventh, he put the Hatters lineup away in order. But at the top of the eighth, O’Sullivan pulled him for Ryan Cabarcas, who didn’t fare well. He gave up two singles and a walk to start, loading the bases with no outs, and O’Sullivan swiftly pulled him after just nine pitches for Christian Scott.
Scott couldn’t avert the danger entirely, as a single from Eric Foggo put one run across, but he followed it up with a strikeout, a fielder’s choice and a flyout to get out of the inning. At the bottom of the frame, Armstrong got the Gators some insurance with a solo drive that went over the right-field wall.
Scott gave up a leadoff homer in the top of the ninth (from MacNeil again), and Sardinas hit another homer, as well, with two outs on the board. Stetson continued its challenge with a single, but the rally came to an end on a deep fly ball to right field that was easily caught by Thompson.
The Gators took their third victory of the season against the Hatters and will go for the season sweep next Tuesday when they travel to Deland to face them on the road. Before that, they have a weekend series at Kentucky that begins on Thursday. The Wildcats are just 10-11 in SEC play, while Florida sits just one game behind SEC East leaders Vanderbilt and Tennessee. A sweep over UK could vault UF into first place in the division.
First pitch for Game 1 is set for 7 p.m. EDT.
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