Florida bats bounce back against Siena in mercy-rule victory

After playing a surprisingly competitive ballgame against Siena on Friday, Florida needed just seven innings to win via the mercy rule on Saturday.

After a closer-than-expected win against Siena on Friday night, the Florida Gators swung the bats well and took care of the Saints in seven innings, 11-0.

Florida scored in every inning but the second. [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] got things started in the first with an RBI triple to score [autotag]Cade Kurland[/autotag], and [autotag]Josh Rivera[/autotag] singled him in three pitches later.

[autotag]Richie Schiekofer[/autotag] doubled in a run in the third, but he ended the inning on the base paths trying to advance to third base. Kurland singled in [autotag]Colby Halter[/autotag] in the fourth, and Rivera drove in his 30th run of the season after a pitch hit Caglianone. [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] doubled in Kurland to make it 6-0.

The Gators put up another three-spot in the fifth inning. Halter hit a two-run home run to right field with [autotag]Ty Evans[/autotag] on base, and Kurland scored again on an error. Evans brought the lead to double digits in the sixth with an RBI triple that scored Shelnut, and Halter added another run on a single for good measure.

With an 11-0 lead, [autotag]Ryan Slater[/autotag] closed out the game for Florida as part of a three-inning save. He struck out seven while giving up just three hits.

[autotag]Hurston Waldrep[/autotag] pitched four scoreless innings for the Gators while striking out seven and walking two. The Saints only managed a pair of hits off of him, but Waldrep probably wanted to be a bit more efficient with his pitch count.

Kevin O’Sullivan is clearly planning on short outings for his starters this weekend, and 77 pitches was enough from Waldrep a week out from SEC play.

[autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] didn’t play in this game after taking a foul ball off the groin Friday night. Schiekofer will play left in his place but expect him to be back either on Sunday or during the week.

[autotag]Luke Heyman[/autotag] also sat after coming up lame with an apparent hamstring injury while rounding first base on Friday night. [autotag]Rene Lastres[/autotag] caught the last inning of the game as Riopelle shifted to first base.

This was the kind of win Florida was looking for against Siena last night, and it’s good to see the team bounce back after its worst-hitting performance of the season.

The Gators will go for the sweep on Sunday at noon EDT. Remember to move the clocks forward.

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