The Gators bounced back nicely from losing their opening series of the season to Miami. Facing North Florida in Jacksonville on Tuesday night, Florida (2-2) earned a 9-6 win, staving off a late push from the Ospreys (1-3).
UF’s lineup, which shined throughout the series last weekend, was solid once again, and it made things difficult for UNF pitcher Ethan Jones early in the game. The Gators rattled off three-straight hits to open the game, and though North Florida was able to throw Jacob Young at out home, a sacrifice fly from Jordan Butler managed to score a run.
Starting for UF was Garrett Milchin, who pitched in his first real game in nearly four years after undergoing back-to-back Tommy John surgeries. He started out hot with two strikeouts, but he allowed a pair of hits and a walk after that. The Ospreys scored off a fielding error later in the inning, and though the run wasn’t charged against Milchin, the game was tied.
Coach Kevin O’Sullivan chose to keep Milchin’s pitch count low, and he was pulled after just two innings, allowing three hits and no earned runs with three strikeouts.
Jones escaped the second inning without allowing additional runs, but singles from Nate Hickey and Butler brought another run home, and he was pulled after 2 1/3 for Eddie Miller.
Miller was more comfortable, but he couldn’t get out of the jam, as a triple from Colby Halter scored three more runs to push Florida’s lead to 5-1 before the end of the inning.
Butler came in at pitcher in the bottom of the third, and he tossed clean innings in the third and fourth. But in the fifth, he gave up a homer to Abraham Sequera, and a sacrifice fly later in the inning scored another run to cut UF’s lead to 5-3.
The Gators got some insurance in the seventh when a fielder’s choice from Halter scored another run, and Jacob Young hit a two-RBI double to put Florida up 8-3 later in the inning. They added one more in the ninth with an RBI single from Jud Fabian.
The Ospreys took notes from Miami over the weekend, attempting a ninth-inning comeback of their own. Ben Specht gave up an RBI triple and two-run homer on back-to-back at-bats, and Florida’s lead was cut to just three runs. But two flyouts ended the rally, and UF avoided a third-straight loss.
The Gators take on UNF again on Wednesday night, this time in Gainesville. First pitch for Florida’s second midweek game is set for 6 p.m. EST.
[listicle id=36276]