Tag: baseball

Florida baseball sweeps Texas A&M with Saturday win

Florida notched 13 hits on Saturday to finish off the sweep over the Aggies. The No. 5 Gators now turn their attention to South Carolina.

The Gators had already clinched a victory in their SEC-opening series with a 3-1 win over Texas A&M on Friday night. An 8-4 win in Game 3 on Saturday was just the icing on the cake.

Florida completed an excellent first weekend of conference play with a big win over the Aggies in which its bats showed up hot and starting pitcher Hunter Barco got the job done. Barco allowed nine hits during his six innings of action, but he only gave up two earned runs and struck out nine batters. He earned the win, and his record moves to 3-1 on the season.

Meanwhile, Aggies starter Johnathan Childress didn’t have a very good outing on the mound. He gave up two singles to lead off the bottom of the first, and UF scored a run of a fielding error. In the third, he walked Jacob Young and gave up a single to Nate Hickey. That allowed Kirby McMullen to break the game open with a three-run homer to clear the bases, and Florida had a 4-0 lead. Childress navigated the rest of the way through the inning, but his day was done after that.

TAMU reliever Mason Ornelas ran into trouble in the fifth, giving up two singles that allowed the Gators to add another run on a fielder’s choice. Barco didn’t have any major issues until the sixth inning when he gave up three singles (the last of which scored a run to make the game 5-1). UF got that run back at the bottom of the frame, though, as Colby Halter doubled to score a sixth run.

Barco tried for one more in the seventh, but he gave up four-straight singles to lead it off, and he was pulled after giving up a run. Franco Aleman entered with bases loaded, and a run scored on his first at-bat after a passed ball advanced all the runners. But Aleman responded well, striking out the next three batters.

Aleman carried an 8-3 lead into the bottom of the ninth, and Texas A&M had a threat going with runners on second and third. It managed a run out of it with a sacrifice fly, but it wasn’t enough. Aleman struck out his fifth batter of the game to close out the four-run victory.

The Gators have nearly a week off now before they return to action on Friday night with SEC series No. 2 against South Carolina. The Gamecocks are off to another solid start to the season, and they rank 16th in the nation according to the D1Baseball Rankings, but have lost their last six games — including a no-hitter at the hands of Vanderbilt’s Jack Leiter.

First pitch of that game is set for 7 p.m. EDT in Nashville, Tennessee and can be watched on the SEC Network+.

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Watch: Notre Dame baseball’s walk-off homer ends home opener

Tough to have a better way to finish the home opener…

Notre Dame baseball has started the 2021 season appearing to have been shot out of a cannon as they won each of their first three series and seven of nine games overall.

Finally on Friday the 15th ranked Irish were able to start their home schedule as they welcomed Duke to town for a weekend series.

After Niko Kavadas tied the game at four with a two-run home run in the sixth inning, the Irish slugger doubled to the start of Notre Dame’s half of the 13th with the game still knotted at four.

Catcher David LaManna did his job getting Kavadas to third base with less than two outs and needing a ball to just be hit to the outfield to win it, Ryan Cole did even more as his first career home run walked off the Blue Devils.

Will Mercer started the game on the mound for Notre Dame but didn’t have his best night as he allowed three runs in 3.1 innings pitched.  Notre Dame’s bullpen picked up the rest of the squad, however, allowing just one run over the final 9.2 innings of action.

Joe Sheridan had a valiant effort in relief, going 6.1 innings and allowing just one run.

The win moves the Irish to an ACC-best 8-2 on the season and has them looking what would be their fourth-straight series win to start the year and potentially sixth-straight series win dating back to 2020 with a win either of the next two days.

Notre Dame and Duke resume action on Saturday with the first pitch set for 2 p.m. ET at Frank Eck Stadium.

Florida baseball takes weekend series over Texas A&M in pitching duel

The Gators took their SEC-opening series at home with a 3-1 win on Friday night over the Aggies. They go for the series sweep tomorrow.

After the Gators put up 13 runs in their win over Texas A&M on Thursday night, Friday’s Game 2 proved to be a much lower-scoring affair. Just four total runs were scored as both team’s starting pitchers played exceedingly well. But Florida prevailed in a 3-1 ballgame, and it secured a victory in its first SEC series of the game.

Jack Leftwich earned his fourth win of the season on the bump, tossing seven impressive innings to match Tommy Mace‘s Thursday total. He allowed just three hits and one run in that span while striking out six Aggies batters.

TAMU starter Bryce Miller had a good game in his own right, avoiding the loss in a 5.2 inning outing in which he allowed five hits but just one run. Between the two, only three hits were allowed in the first three innings.

Miller was the first to slip up, though, as he gave up an RBI single to Sterlin Thompson in the bottom of the fourth that got the Gators on the scoreboard. The Aggies managed to respond in the sixth, as Will Frizzell managed to hit one out of the park off Leftwich to tie the game, his only major mistake of the game.

Mac Guscette retook the lead for UF in the bottom of the seventh with an RBI single, ending the night of reliever Chandler Jozwiak, who was credited with the loss.

The bases were loaded for his replacement, Alex Magers, and though Florida scored one run out of a double-play, he averted most of the danger. But the Gators had a 3-1 lead, and against Christian Scott, who pitched the rest of way and earned the save, Texas A&M couldn’t get anything going.

Scott allowed two hits with two strikeouts in his two innings of work, and he closed out a much-needed series win after a mediocre start to the season. The Gators will go for the series sweep of the Aggies on Saturday at 1 p.m. EDT.

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Florida baseball dominates Texas A&M in SEC opener

The Gators started conference play in impressive fashion, dominating Texas A&M with big performances in the third and fourth innings.

In the first SEC baseball contest in nearly two calendar years, Florida delivered one of its best performances of the young season in a 13-4 beatdown of Texas A&M to take the first game of the weekend series. The Gators (14-5, 1-0 SEC) scored nine runs between the third and fourth innings, and paired with an excellent game on the mound from starter Tommy Mace, the Aggies (15-5, 0-1 SEC) were out of the game from early on.

The first several innings looked like they were setting up a defensive showdown. Mace and TAMU starter Dustin Saenz each allowed one hit in the first and pitched cleanly through the second. Saenz lost control quickly in the third, though, giving up back-to-back singles followed by a walk to lead off the inning. With the bases loaded, two more singles from Nate Hickey and Kirby McMullen brought three runs home to give the Gators the early advantage.

Texas A&M got one back on a home run in the fourth, but a two-run homer from Colby Halter at the bottom of the inning started a big scoring spree. UF added runs on a wild pitch, sac-fly and two singles in the inning, as the Aggies needed three pitchers to end the threat, but not before the Gators took a 9-1 lead.

Mace didn’t face any more issues until the sixth inning, when TAMU mounted a small rally. Florida’s defense, which ranks last in the conference in fielding percentage, made several mistakes. After an error and a wild pitch, the Aggies scored on a double. A single and sac-fly later in the inning added two more runs as Texas A&M cut the Gators’ lead to five, though only one of the three runs Mace allowed in the inning were earned.

Luckily, Florida got some insurance at the bottom of the sixth. Jacob Young hit an RBI single, and Jud Fabian crushed a home run to right-center. Mace was pulled following the seventh inning after allowing six hits and two earned runs while tying his career-high in strikeouts with 11.

Ryan Cabarcas pitched cleanly through the eighth for Florida, and Brandon Sproat put it away in the ninth after giving up a pair of singles to lead off the inning.

The Gators will be back in action on Friday night when they try to take the series against the Aggies. First pitch for that game is set for 6:30 p.m. EDT.

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Gators baseball preview: Florida hosts Texas A&M for SEC opening weekend

Here’s a look at the starting pitchers lined up for Tuesday night’s game between UF and TAMU along with the projected starting lineup.

The fifth-ranked Florida Gators baseball team (13-5) returns to the diamond Thursday to kick off their 2021 Southeastern Conference campaign against the Texas A&M Aggies (15-4) for a three-game set in the comforting confines of Florida Ballpark. After losing a midweek matchup with the Florida State Seminoles, UF will be looking to get back on the winning track.

The Aggies enter the weekend riding an 11-game winning streak dating back to March 2. They struggled to open the season, losing three of their first four including a three-game series loss to the Xavier Musketeers on opening weekend. They have lost only one game since then — a 6-1 home loss in a one-off game against the Auburn Tigers on Feb. 28.

Historically, Texas A&M has been the better team in this young rivalry, having won 12 games while losing seven to Florida since their first meeting in 1992. TAMU dominated the series early and UF has been playing catch-up ever since. The two teams have split their last four matchups.

Here is a look below at the starting pitchers lined up for Tuesday night’s game along with the projected starting lineup. Scroll down further for interesting excerpts from the media guide.

Gators baseball preview: Florida hosts Texas A&M for SEC opening weekend

Here’s a look at the starting pitchers lined up for Tuesday night’s game between UF and TAMU along with the projected starting lineup.

The fifth-ranked Florida Gators baseball team (13-5) returns to the diamond Thursday to kick off their 2021 Southeastern Conference campaign against the Texas A&M Aggies (15-4) for a three-game set in the comforting confines of Florida Ballpark. After losing a midweek matchup with the Florida State Seminoles, UF will be looking to get back on the winning track.

The Aggies enter the weekend riding an 11-game winning streak dating back to March 2. They struggled to open the season, losing three of their first four including a three-game series loss to the Xavier Musketeers on opening weekend. They have lost only one game since then — a 6-1 home loss in a one-off game against the Auburn Tigers on Feb. 28.

Historically, Texas A&M has been the better team in this young rivalry, having won 12 games while losing seven to Florida since their first meeting in 1992. TAMU dominated the series early and UF has been playing catch-up ever since. The two teams have split their last four matchups.

Here is a look below at the starting pitchers lined up for Tuesday night’s game along with the projected starting lineup. Scroll down further for interesting excerpts from the media guide.

Gators News: Midweek Florida sports update includes swim team’s NCAA Championships

Today we have a few sports to get you up to speed on, with softball, baseball, men’s tennis and women’s swimming and diving on the mind. 

Welcome to a humpday edition of Gators News and today we have a few sports to get you up to speed on, with softball, baseball, men’s tennis and women’s swimming and diving on the mind. While neither team in action yesterday emerged victoriously, a new day brings new hope and new games to play. So let us take a look at what is on tap on this wonderful Wednesday.

Seminoles shell Florida’s pitchers in midweek beatdown

The Gators dropped their second-straight game against their in-state rival in a 10-2 tilt with the Seminoles on Tuesday night.

Florida’s midweek struggles continued on Tuesday night, as the team dropped its second-straight game to rival Florida State in Tallahassee 10-2. The No. 5 Gators got down early, and in what was likely an attempt to preserve their best arms for the SEC opener series against Texas A&M this weekend, they burned through seven pitchers as the Seminoles (7-6) continued to pile on runs in a 13-hit performance.

Florida, meanwhile, struggled in the batter’s box. It failed to notch a hit until the fifth in a dominant performance on the mound from FSU’s Carson Montgomery, who struck out nine in 4.2 innings with just three hits and two runs.

Meanwhile, UF’s Garrett Milchin faced his toughest challenge since returning from injury, and he didn’t have control from the get-go. After allowing the first two batters of the game to reach base, he allowed a home run to give the Seminoles an early 3-0 lead.

The FSU lineup came back for more in the second. A two-RBI double from Logan Lacey followed by a pair of RBI singles ended Milchin’s night early, as he allowed eight hits and seven runs in just 1.2 pitched.

Trey Van Der Weide fared better on the rubber, getting out of the second inning with no additional runs and only giving up one hit over the third and fourth. Meanwhile, Florida found some offense in the fifth. Josh Rivera and Jacob Young each hit RBI singles to bring Florida within five runs, but the Gators couldn’t keep the rally going in the sixth.

At the bottom of the frame, Christian Scott got two outs for UF, but coach Kevin O’Sullivan made the decision to keep his pitch count low and replace him with Ryan Cabarcas, who gave up back-to-back home runs on his first two batters, one of which scored two runs.

The Gators didn’t have much left in the tank after that. Franco Aleman and Jordan Carrion kept FSU from scoring additional runs, but Florida couldn’t mount a comeback. It stranded two batters in the seventh and the ninth, and now UF heads back home after suffering another disappointing loss.

The Gators begin SEC play on Thursday at home against the Aggies, with first pitch for Game 1 set for 7 p.m. EST.

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No. 5 Florida heads to Tallahassee to face the Florida State Seminoles on Tuesday

UF will be looking for revenge on Tuesday night when the two teams take the field after FSU snapped their 16-game winning streak in 2020.

The No. 5 Florida Gators (13-4, 0-0 SEC) hit the road for the first time in 13 games for a matchup with their biggest in-state rivals, the Florida State Seminoles (6-6, 40-5 ACC), on Tuesday evening. After taking the final two of three from the Jacksonville Dolphins last weekend, UF is looking to extend its winning streak to three heading into Southeastern Conference play.

The Seminoles have been in a bit of a lull lately after a run of success over the past decade-plus, entering Tuesday night’s tilt unranked, which has been a rarity in recent times. After winning the season-opening series at home against the North Florida Ospreys — though they did lose their opening game, much like the Gators did — the Noles were swept by the Pitt Panthers at Dick Howser Stadium the following weekend. Since then they have won three-game sets against the Virginia Cavaliers and Virginia Tech Hokies on the road and at home, respectively.

Historically, Florida State holds the all-time edge by a narrow 129-121-1 margin since the series began in 1956. However, Florida has dominated the rivalry in recent years, running off 11 straight wins from 2016 to 2019 and 16 of the past 18 meetings; in fact, you can stretch that window of success to 21 wins in the past 25 games played.

Sadly, FSU’s last win in the series came last year in the final game played before COVID canceled the schedule — and it also broke UF’s program-best winning streak to start the season at 16 games. Suffice to say, the Gators will be looking for revenge on Tuesday night when the two teams take the field for a one-off tangle.

Here is a look below at the starting pitchers lined up for Tuesday night’s game along with the projected starting lineup. Scroll down further for interesting excerpts from the media guide.

ETSU brings 11 players with local baseball ties to Lindsey Nelson Stadium

Buccaneers have 11 players with Knoxville ties.

When East Tennessee State University makes a trip to Lindsey Nelson Stadium Tuesday night to take on No. 10 Tennessee, several Buccaneers will have a homecoming as they played their high school baseball in the Knoxville area.

ETSU (10-5) has 11 players with Knoxville ties on its 2021 roster.

They include: Hunter Loyd (a junior pitcher who played at Christian Academy of Knoxville under legendary coach Tommy Pharr); Austin King (a sophomore infielder from Farragut, where he played for the Admirals, who are always in contention for a Class AAA State Championship); David Beam (a senior outfielder and star at Bearden High School); Noah Webb (a sophomore catcher who played for Sevier County); Sean Kearney (a senior infielder who prepped at Knoxville Catholic); Landon Smiddy (a pitcher from Farragut); Bryce Hodge (who played at Halls High before beginning his collegiate career at Walters State Community College) and Walker Trusley (a pitcher who starred in both baseball and football at Powell High School).

Other players with ties to the area include Owen Kovacs and Adam Birkholz, who both pitched at Farragut, and Bubba Hubbard who played at Walters State.

First pitch for the game between Tennessee (17-3) and the Bucs is slated for 6:30 p.m. EDT.