Tag: Brandon Neely

Florida baseball takes series versus Kentucky Wildcats

Florida baseball will try to go for the series sweep after taking the first two games of the series versus the Kentucky Wildcats.

Freshman [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] has been a sparkplug for Florida baseball since head coach [autotag]Kevin O’Sullivan[/autotag] inserted him into the starting lineup. He has blasted two home runs in three starts, including a solo shot that helped the Gators defeat the Kentucky Wildcats, 9-1, on Saturday at Condron Ballpark.

The Gators’ pitcher [autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag] pitched a gem versus the No. 1 Tennessee  Volunteers, allowing only a hit and an earned run in seven innings. He picked up right where he left off versus the Wildcats. Neely went four innings only giving up a walk along with four strikeouts. He could’ve gone deeper into the game if it wasn’t for a two-hour rain delay.

Florida just like it did Friday jumped the Kentucky starter for runs immediately. Left fielder [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] tripled to begin the game and scored later on a Wildcats’ throwing error. Center fielder [autotag]Jud Fabian[/autotag] then doubled to score right fielder [autotag]Sterlin Thompson[/autotag] to make it 2-0. Catcher [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] followed by singling to center field, driving in Fabian.

Shortstop [autotag]Joshua Rivera [/autotag]kicked off the next inning with a solo shot to deep center. Thompson then drove in third baseman [autotag]Deric Fabian[/autotag] on a double, who got on base via a hit by pitch. Riopelle came up clutch once again later in the inning. He singled again to plate Jud, who was intentionally walked, and Thompson, 7-0.

The Gators scored two more runs following the lengthy rain delay, and Kentucky broke the shutout in the top of the sixth with an RBI double to get to the final score of 9-1.

Florida and Kentucky will return to Condron Ballpark on short rest for the series finale at noon EDT where the Gators will try to claim the series sweep.

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Series Preview: Florida baseball hosts Kentucky in must-win weekend series

There’s no beating around the bush at this point, Florida baseball desperately needs a series win against Kentucky this weekend.

Conference play has been anything but kind to the Florida Gators baseball team this season. A sweep at the hands of the top-ranked Tennessee Volunteers last weekend put Florida’s conference record at 6-12, which means some serious winning needs to be done if [autotag]Kevin O’Sullivan[/autotag] is going to avoid the worst finish in the SEC of his career (13-17 in 2019).

Fortunately, the schedule lightens up a bit for the Gators starting this weekend with a series against the Kentucky Wildcats. UK comes into this series with a team ERA of 5.16 and has lost four-straight weekend series against SEC opponents.

Florida will still be without [autotag]Hunter Barco[/autotag], but [autotag]Brandon Sproat[/autotag] and [autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag] have been solid as two of the three weekend starters in recent weeks. They’ll each get moved up a day with a week’s rest under the belt to accommodate for Barco’s absence and it’ll be a surprise who gets the ball on Sunday for both teams. Florida’s decision will likely rest on who is available after the first two games.

The Gators are 15-9 at home this season and are coming off a week of no games. It’s a good chance to reset for a team that’s playing well beneath its capabilities

Brutal weekend on the diamond as Gators get swept at home in baseball, softball

It was the first time Florida has been swept at home in baseball in nine years.

There are weekends that you always want to remember, moments taken with mental snapshots that make you smile.

Maybe it was your wedding or the day your boss got canned or Florida 52, FSU 20.

Those kinds of days.

Sunday was not one of them for the teams that use bats and balls this time of the year.

On one side of Hull Road, Florida finished off one changing of the guard. On the other side, an hour later, they were part of another one.

This was supposed to be a big weekend for both the baseball and softball teams with a pair of top 10 teams coming to town. Instead, it was a clean sweep in the worst way.

Arkansas finished off the Gators softball team first — a 2-0 win against a team the Razorbacks had lost 30 straight against when the game started Friday night.

Then, it was baseball, a brutal home loss to allow Tennessee the sweep of a series where it was Florida that needed to make some noise.

Six games.

Six losses.

It was the first time Florida has been swept at home in baseball in nine years. That sent me scurrying through the records to see if both programs had been swept at home on the same weekend.

I know that it hasn’t happened since [autotag]Tim Walton[/autotag] and [autotag]Kevin O’Sullivan[/autotag] showed up in Gainesville, but I didn’t go all the way back to the really old days because I needed to submit this in time for publication.

The point is that two programs had opportunities this weekend – softball to get back into the picture as a national seed and baseball to get back into the mix as a host for the first round of regionals.

Instead, both of those things are in jeopardy and any chances of winning the SEC are gone.

Meanwhile, Arkansas showed why it will win the SEC for the second straight year (shared with Florida last year), which is amazing considering this was a one-win team in the conference not long ago.

Meanwhile, baseball is in terrible trouble when it comes to simply making the NCAA Tournament.

“We’re finding a way to do the wrong things at the wrong times,” said O’Sullivan, the frustration showing on his face. “I’m at the point where there isn’t much to say.”

Florida lost the first game because it gave up seven runs in one inning. The Gators lost the softball opener when they gave up nine runs in two innings.

Baseball lost the series because it had 11 hits in three games. And that was almost enough to salvage a game Sunday because of [autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag]’s performance, going seven innings and taking a no-no into the seventh.

But closer [autotag]Blake Purnell[/autotag] gave up three runs in the ninth to allow the game to be tied and lost it on a two-run homer in the 11th by Christian Moore, who also had the game-tying hit.

Florida is now 23-17 and 6-12 in the league.

Tennessee, now 17-1 in the SEC, is going to win the conference easily. Another torch gets passed from what was a dominant program to the new dominant program.

“We’ve been No. 1 for a long time around here,” O’Sullivan said. “I don’t see anybody we are inferior to.

“But the game is a bit unforgiving.”

The baseball team still has four weekends to try to right the ship with a young team. UF probably needs to win seven of the 12 conference games to make a regional.

The schedule eases up after what has been a rough three weeks in a row.

The softball team has a trip to LSU before it plays host to the SEC Tournament. But winning in Gainesville hasn’t been that difficult for visiting ball teams.

Combined, baseball and softball are 7-15 in SEC games at home.

AT HOME.

That’s not the way it usually works around here.

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Gators fall in extras to give Tennessee the series sweep

This one hurt. At least, the Gators have their Sunday starter locked in with Brandon Neely.

Florida’s starting pitcher on Sunday, [autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag], did everything he could to give the Gators a shot at avoiding the sweep from Tennessee on Sunday, but a ninth-inning collapse sent the game into extras and allowed the Volunteers to secure the best start against conference opponents in Southeastern Conference history.

Designated hitter Christian Moore delivered the final blow in the form of a two-run home run on a full count with one out in the top of the 11th inning. Vols up, 6-4. To say that Florida looked deflated after the ball cleared the fence would be an understatement. The Gators were one strike away from a much-needed win in the ninth, and their best reliever, [autotag]Blake Purnell[/autotag], couldn’t get the job done. Now, they needed to mount a comeback of their own.

Florida went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the eleventh, and the final out was, perhaps fittingly, a robbed [autotag]Jud Fabian[/autotag] home run that was sure to clear the left-field fence. The Volunteers skipped off the field with their metaphorical brooms in hand, and the Gators are once again left wondering if they’ll be able to turn things around in time for the NCAA Tournament (assuming they make it in the first place).

[autotag]Kevin O’Sullivan[/autotag] said that there’s not much he can do to right the ship after Saturday’s game, and it will be hard for him to come up with a better answer after this loss. He’s figured out the No. 3 spot in the starting rotation with Neely and made the right call by giving [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] his first collegiate start.

Caglianone drove in two of Florida’s runs with a big fly in the fourth and a sacrifice fly in the sixth. He was removed from the game in the bottom of the ninth after being hit by a pitch in favor of pinch-runner [autotag]Corey Robinson[/autotag].

Neely has taken over the Sunday spot in the rotation and is settling into the role nicely. After holding Vanderbilt to one run through 6 1/3 innings last weekend, he carried Florida through seven innings of one-hit, one-run baseball while racking up eight strikeouts and walking two. In other words, he was brilliant against the best team in the country when Florida desperately needed a win.

Unfortunately, the Gators couldn’t finish things off and now need a strong close to the regular season to have any hope of a playoff run. Florida has the whole week to regroup before hosting Kentucky, a far more manageable team than Vanderbilt or Tennessee.

Next weekend is now a must-win series for the Gators and they’ll have to do it without their ace, [autotag]Hunter Barco[/autotag]. [autotag]Brandon Sproat[/autotag] and Neely have been robbed of a few wins in recent weeks, so all eyes are on the offense.

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Series Preview: Florida looking to pull off massive upset versus No. 1 Tennessee Volunteers

Florida’s chance to upset the Volunteers this weekend after Hunter Barco was ruled out with elbow discomfort.

Florida baseball and head coach [autotag]Kevin O’Sullivan[/autotag] received a devastating blow on Wednesday when Kendall Rodgers of D1Baseball reported that ace [autotag]Hunter Barco[/autotag] will be out indefinitely with elbow discomfort. The absence of its star pitcher will make the Gators’ attempt to pull a massive upset over the No. 1 Tennessee Volunteers much more difficult. The series kicks off Friday at 6:30 p.m. EDT at the newly named Condron Ballpark. Graham Hall of the Gainesville Sun reported that Florida Ballpark is renamed after Gary Condron, the largest donor in Gator Boosters history.

In Barco’s place, O’Sullivan announced that reliever [autotag]Ryan Slater[/autotag] will start Friday. Then [autotag]Brandon Sproat[/autotag] and [autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag] will take the mound first on Saturday and Sunday.

The Volunteers are rolling currently and have only dropped one game so far in SEC play. They enter this weekend holding an outstanding 34-3 record. Tennessee also holds the NCAA lead for most dingers with 88.

Florida’s pitching staff will need to have its best stuff if it wants to pull off the series upset.

Game Preview: Gators looking to sweep season series against Stetson

Stetson has played spoiler before to the Gators, but Florida needs this midweek win to get the mind right before hosting No. 1 Tennessee over the weekend.

Florida baseball managed to narrowly avoid a sweep at the hands of the Vanderbilt Commodores with a 10-inning win on Sunday, and the Gators have one more game against Stetson on Tuesday to prepare for No. 1 Tennessee over the coming weekend.

Last time out against the Hatters, Florida cruised to an 8-1 victory. That game came after an opening series loss to Liberty and led to an early seven-game winning streak for UF. The Gators could use another momentum boost after getting off to a rocky start against SEC opponents.

[autotag]Sterlin Thompson[/autotag] led the offense with three RBIs on three hits, including a solo home run, and redshirt freshman [autotag]Tucker Talbot[/autotag]t had a four-hit night in one of his few appearances of the year. [autotag]Timmy Manning[/autotag] got a short one-inning start to regain some confidence after a weekend loss. Tuesday’s starter,[autotag] Karl Hartman[/autotag], was the first arm out of the bullpen followed by [autotag]Nick Ficarrotta[/autotag], who ended up taking home the win after 60 pitches and 4 2/3 innings. [autotag]Blake Purnell[/autotag] and [autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag] finished things off.

Kevin O’Sullivan probably won’t be playing his backups too much in this one as the Gators find themselves in need of a pick me up during the toughest part of their schedule. Each weekend seems to end in heartbreak only to have some hope restored by a solid midweek win. There’s no game between the Tennessee and Kentucky series, so this is Florida’s last dress rehearsal for that stretch.

A win here is expected, but it’s a crucial game for the Gators.

Florida baseball needs extras to prevent sweep by Vanderbilt

Both Fabian brothers went year, and Deric’s dinger couldn’t have come at a better time.

Florida baseball needed an extra inning on Sunday to prevent the sweep against Vanderbilt, but [autotag]Deric Fabian[/autotag] gave the Gators the 4-3 win with a tenth inning shot over the 35-foot wall in left field.

It wasn’t the first clutch homer of the night as the Commodores tied things up in the bottom of the ninth with two strikes and two outs on the board. Down 3-1, designated hitter Jack Bulger hit a two-run home run to left to extend the game. [autotag]Tyler Nesbitt[/autotag] blew the eight-out save but ended up earning the win after coming back out for the tenth.

Nesbitt’s slip-up is unforutnate because it overshadows an exceptional start from [autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag]. In the second start of his college career — the first coming last weekend aganst Arkansas — Neely made a strong bid to take over the Sunday slot in the rotation with seven strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings of one-run baseball. Vanderbilt managed just three hits and one walk against him.

The afternoon began with four-straight singles from Florida. [autotag]Colby Halter[/autotag] was tagged out trying to swipe second base, but Wyatt Langford’s hit drove in [autotag]Jud Fabian[/autotag] and a [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] fielder’s choice brought in [autotag]Sterlin Thompson[/autotag] for an early 2-0 lead.

The elder Fabian added an insurance in the form of a long ball to left center field during the third, and Vanderbilt responded in the fifth with a solo shot from first baseman Parker Noland. Scoring opportunities were hard to come by after that until the late-inning drama except for a “triple” by Riopelle in the sixth that was the result of a misplayed fly ball in left. Unfortunately, Riopelle was thrown out at home trying to get the inside-the-park home run.

Although, Florida dropped the series, the Gators ended things on the right note and showed some signs of life in a few areas that have been a concern recently. Neely gave Kevin O’Sullivan everything he needs from a Sunday starter and should get the ball again in Game 3 against Tennessee. Nesbitt was also quite good aside from the home run and tested his stamina with 3 2/3 innings pitched.

If those two can continue to play at this level, Florida’s pitching staff will finally have some depth to fall back on.

The other area of improvement is the clutch hitting from the Fabian brothers. Deric has been struggling, but a go-ahead home run in extras is the kind of at-bat that shifts the long-term momentum for a batter.

Florida will host Stetson on Tuesday before welcoming No. 1 Tennessee into town for a weekend series. Now 6-9 in conference play, Florida needs to take at least one from the best team in the country.

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Florida baseball: Joshua Rivera’s hot streak stays ablaze in victory over FSU

Florida shortstop Joshua Rivera went three-for-four with three RBIs in his team’s 6-3 victory over Florida State.

Florida shortstop [autotag]Joshua Rivera[/autotag]’s bat has caught fire since the Gators started SEC play versus Alabama on March 18 resulting in a team-leading .375 batting average. Rivera stayed ablaze at the plate versus Florida State on Tuesday in Jacksonville, finishing 3-for-4 with three RBIs and just a triple shy of the cycle, to help the No. 14 Gators upset the No. 5 Seminoles, 6-3.

Florida State got the lead-off man on base when he doubled down the left-field line and eventually scored for the first run of the game.

Third baseman [autotag]Deric Fabian[/autotag] beat the shift, singling through the right side in the bottom half. Rivera then tied the game up 1-1 with his left-field double to cement a two-out rally.

Head coach [autotag]Kevin O’Sullivan[/autotag] pulled starter [autotag]Garrett Milchin[/autotag] after 2 1/3 innings after allowing five hits and one earned run. [autotag]Nick Ficarrotta[/autotag] relieved him but didn’t fare much better, struggling with his command. He only went an inning, giving up a hit, an earned run and three walks.

Left fielder [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] made a pair of web gems in the top of the third inning. FSU third baseman Logan Lacy blasted what seemed to be a three-run shot, but Langford ascended the wall and made the snag to rob Lacy. He also finished the inning, making a sliding grab in foul territory to keep the game tied.

Then Langford pushed across the go-ahead run in the bottom half when he beat out the throw to first base to break up the double play. He scored center fielder [autotag]Jud Fabian[/autotag] who walked earlier in the frame.

Ficarrotta walked a batter with the bases loaded to even the game once more. Subsequently, O’Sullivan signaled for pitcher [autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag], who struck out back-to-back hitters to end Florida State’s threat.

Langford hammered a lead-off triple in the fifth and cruised home later when designated hitter [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] grounded out to second base to give Florida back the lead, 3-2. Rivera put the exclamation mark on the contest when he blasted a two-run homer to make it 5-2.

Florida and FSU each traded a run in the late innings to get to the final score of 6-3.

The Gators posted 11 hits in their six-run victory over the Seminoles, and right fielder [autotag]Sterlin Thompson[/autotag] recorded three hits in the game like Rivera. Florida’s pitching staff also held the ‘Noles to only three runs on nine hits.

It’s a big win for O’Sullivan’s club after dropping two straight at home last weekend to LSU.

Florida travels to Georgia for another weekend series that starts Thursday at 8 p.m. EDT and can be seen on ESPN2.

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