Despite erasing an early six-run Missouri lead, the Florida Gators fell in walk-off fashion to the Tigers, 11-10, on Sunday. It’s Mizzou’s first sweep of Florida ever.
Jac Caglianone took the mound for his typical Sunday start looking to lower his earned run average back below the 2.00 mark, but Florida’s ace delivered his worst start of the year instead. For the first time this season, Caglianone’s fastball location was off.
He gave up seven runs (six earned) on seven hits and three walks. He didn’t hit any of Missouri’s batters, but he did throw a pair of wild pitches — the first of which started the scoring in the opening frame.
Anyone who watched Cags pitch a year ago knows his fastball control was the biggest problem, but he’s been sharp for most of 2024. Hopefully, this is a one-time occurrence. Caglianone’s consistency on Sundays has helped get him back in the first-overall-draft-pick conversation, but returning to his Jekyll and Hyde ways will quickly undo any progress made this year.
Bullpen Day
Blake Purnell took over for Caglianone in the second inning and got out of the jam with just one pitch — a double play. He stayed in until giving up a run in the fourth, but Florida Colby Shelton’s three-run bomb in the third made Purnell’s outing a net positive in the box score.
Ryan Slater came out of the bullpen next and also got out of a jam with one pitch to start his outing. He was dominant for most of the night, striking out a pair in both the fifth and sixth innings. He fanned one of Missouri’s most dangerous bats to start the seventh, but back-to-back singles brought head coach Kevin O’Sullivan back to the mound.
Cade Fisher, Florida’s former Friday night starter, continued the veteran relief arms theme for the Gators in relief of Slater. He gave up a pair of singles in the eighth, but he got Florida to the ninth without giving up any more runs.
Some Scoring… Finally
Florida didn’t cross the plate a ton during the first two games, but it was a different story on Sunday. It took until the sixth for Florida to score again after Shelton made it 7-4 in the third, but the Gators added two runs in three straight innings.
Caglianone homered for the 16th time this season in the sixth; Tyler Shelnut doubled in a run and Armando Albert walked with the bases loaded in the seventh; and Colby Shelton hit his 15th home run of the year to put Florida ahead, 10-8, in the eighth.
Disaster Strikes
The Gators loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the ninth thanks to a leadoff single and a pair of hit batters. Ty Evans, Shelton and Luke Heyman struck out in order to kill the threat and shift all of the momentum back to Missouri.
A pair of walks to start the bottom of the ninth was a clear omen in hindsight. Freshman Luke McNeillie took over for Fisher after a sacrifice bunt moved the tying run into scoring position. A wild pitch made it a one-run game, a double to right center tied it up and a single up the middle ended it.
You can’t blame McNeillie here. Fisher put him in a tough spot, and Missouri already got a look at him on Friday.
Florida will take a big hit in the polls this week. If the team can’t find starting pitching and hitting on the same night, this might have been UF’s last day in the top 10.
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