Tag: BT Riopelle

Freshmen lead No. 3 Florida to sweep of No. 13 Ole Miss

Florida baseball hasn’t lost a series this season and is sweeping teams ranked No. 13 overall in the nation. If you’re not paying attention yet, now is the time to get on the bandwagon.

After taking both games of a Saturday doubleheader, Florida kept its winning ways going against Ole Miss on Sunday and completed the three-game sweep, 7-2.

The freshmen led the day for the Gators, both at the plate and on the mound. Catcher [autotag]Luke Heyman[/autotag] homered twice, once in the fourth and again in the eighth, and second baseman [autotag]Cade Kurland[/autotag] finished the day 3 for 5 with four RBIs. Kurland also homered in the eighth and singled in runs in the fourth and sixth.

[autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag], who started on the mound for Florida, got the scoring started in the first with his nation-leading 17th home run of the year. He’d finish the day 2-for-5, but things didn’t go so well on the mound.

Caglianone lasted just 3 2/3 innings against Ole Miss and walked eight batters, including three in the fourth. His command wasn’t there from the start with his arm side stuff, but the walks didn’t hurt him until the fourth. Fortunately, [autotag]Blake Purnell [/autotag]was able to get the final out of the inning without giving up any more runs, which is a big outing for a guy who has struggled this season.

Left-handed freshman [autotag]Chris Arroyo[/autotag] made a rare appearance and might have earned himself some more playing time. He faced the minimum through two innings, striking out four batters and holding the Rebels hitless. His slider was working well in particular, buckling the knees of lefties and baiting righties to swing and miss at it.

[autotag]Phillip Abner[/autotag] pitched a clean seventh but saw ran into trouble in the eighth after the second error of the day from [autotag]Colby Halter[/autotag]. The team’s closer [autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag] came in for Abner after an unearned run scored and traded a run for a double play.

He closed out the eighth and ninth innings for Florida, securing the first road sweep of Ole Miss for the program since 1988.

Defensive honors go to [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] at first and [autotag]Ty Evans[/autotag] in right for each making a diving play that saved a double during the game.

This was a massive series win for Florida that validates the No. 3 ranking. Alabama and Miami were good wins too, but the reigning national champions are a different story.

Up next, Florida plays its neutral site game against Florida State on Tuesday and then prepares for a four-game homestand against Auburn and Bethune-Cookman.

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Florida finishes off doubleheader sweep of Ole Miss

Florida put up a dozen en route to beating Ole Miss for the second time on Saturday. The Gators play for the sweep on Sunday at 2:30!

After taking down Ole Miss in comeback fashion in the first game of a Saturday doubleheader, the Florida Gators got out to a fast start in Game 2 and never looked back en route to a 12-8 victory.

[autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] was the offensive leader of the day. He drove in three runs and hit for the two hardest legs of the cycle. Riopelle was a First Team All-SEC catcher in 2022, but somehow he’s fallen out of the spotlight for Florida as other bats in the lineup continue to thrive. Not tonight, though.

He was a key piece of Florida’s four-run third inning, homering with [autotag]Josh Rivera[/autotag] on base and putting Florida up 5-0. [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] also homered in that inning after driving in a run in the first. Riopelle tripled in Rivera during his next at-bat in the fifth, and he showed off his wheels by scoring on a passed ball.

His final plate appearance of the night came in the ninth and called for a sacrifice bunt. Riopelle got the job done without issue. Both runners ended up scoring later in the inning on an error put in play by [autotag]Colby Halter[/autotag], making the sacrifice more than worth it in the end.

Caglianone, Halter, [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag], Riopelle and Rivera all finished with two hits, and [autotag]Ty Evans[/autotag] was the only starter to end the night without a base knock. [autotag]Richie Schiekofer[/autotag] replaced him in the ninth for a pinch hit.

Langford homered for the first time since coming back to the lineup and avoided a two-game hitless streak after missing almost two weeks of action. [autotag]Matt Prevesk[/autotag], who started both games in left as Langford played designated hitter, also drove in a pair of runs.

[autotag]Hurston Waldrep[/autotag] got the start in this one and looked fairly strong despite a five-run third inning. Kevin O’Sullivan let Waldrep miss and miss and miss until he got out of it, which cut Florida’s six-run lead down to just one.

Waldrep has ace stuff, but he hasn’t quite shown the consistency some thought he might, especially against the SEC. He has time to figure all that out and still struck out nine on a bad day by his standards, but Waldrep hasn’t been at his best since the Miami series.

Making it through the fifth earned Waldrep a win, and then freshman left-hander Cade Fisher came in to get through the seventh. He’d make it through 1 2/3 innings, striking out two and allowing two hits. Nick Ficarrotta closed things out through the final 2 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on a home run in the ninth.

Perhaps the biggest takeaway of this doubleheader is that Florida’s bullpen seems to be headed in the right direction, but it is hard to ignore the offense.

Jac Caglianone is back. He blasted three homers over the two games today and seems a lot more comfortable with Wyatt Langford hitting in front of him again. He’ll have to learn to perform without that safety cushion in the lineup before next year, but this was a good rebound day for him.

Florida is now 21-4 overall and 4-1 in SEC play. It doesn’t get much better than that, but the Gators can’t afford to get complacent on Sunday. Caglianone did not have a great start last weekend, also pitching the back half of a doubleheader, and he needs to bounce back on the mound just as strong as he did at the plate.

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Cade Kurland delivers comeback victory over No. 13 Ole Miss to Florida

Florida’s true freshman second baseman, Cade Kurland, played hero on Saturday in the first game of UF’s doubleheader against Ole Miss.

Florida true freshman [autotag]Cade Kurland[/autotag] has made plenty of noise throughout the first month of the season, but the first game of Florida’s Saturday doubleheader against Ole Miss was undoubtedly the most notable game of his collegiate career so far.

Kurland experienced both the highest of highs and lowest of lows during the 3-hour-and-23-minute affair. Through his first four at-bats of the day, Kurland had struck out three times and grounded out. Staring down the crown of the golden sombrero, he came up for a fifth time in the top of the eighth with the bases loaded and Florida down two.

Facing the Rebels’ third pitcher of the night, right-hander Mason Nichols, Kurland jumped on the third pitch he saw and shot it into the gap in right-center. The ball rolled all the way to the wall, and the bases cleared to put Florida up a run in a game that looked like it was slipping away an inning earlier.

It’s not always fair to put the blame on one guy, but Florida didn’t put up a crooked number until Nichols came in. Starter Jack Dougherty nearly made it through five and struck seven Gators while allowing just three earned runs. The Rebels’ first reliever of the day, Mitch Murrell, was even better through the 2 1/3 innings, striking out three and allowing just one baserunner on a walk.

Although that duo did allow Florida to score three runs over seven innings, neither pitcher ever gave up more than a run in an inning. In contrast, the Gators jumped on Nichols immediately with a [autotag]Josh Rivera[/autotag] solo home run, his 11th of the season. Kurland delivered the big hit, but he doesn’t get the chance to bat if [autotag]Matt Prevesk[/autotag], [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag], and [autotag]Michael Robertson[/autotag] don’t get hits.

The Gators didn’t stop after the eighth either. [autotag]Jac Caglinone[/autotag] hit his second home run of the day and once again claimed sole possession of the national lead in that statistical category. [autotag]Colby Halter[/autotag] drove in another run on a ground out to put Florida up, 9-6, heading into the bottom of the ninth.

[autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag] closed out the final 1 1/3 innings for Florida, pitching the last out of the eighth inning and all of the ninth for Florida. It wasn’t an easy save by any means, but Neely struck out two of the last three batters he faced to close it out despite trading a run for an out. It was his fourth save of the season.

Left-hander [autotag]Phillip Abner[/autotag] was the first arm out of the bullpen for Florida and continues to emerge as one of the team’s top relief arms. He finished the afternoon after 2 1/3 innings of strong work, allowing just an unearned run, which won’t really count against him. He finished with three strikeouts and is clearly the top lefty in the bullpen right now. Abner claimed the win in relief, brining him to 3-0 on the season.

[autotag]Brandon Sproat[/autotag] didn’t have his best stuff in this one, but he still continued his streak of games without taking a loss thanks to the offense. Even a bad day for Sproat means seven strikeouts, but the five earned runs over 5 1/3 innings are going to hurt his ERA a bit.

Control still seems to be a problem for Sproat at times, but then he delivers a game like last week’s against Alabama and reminds everyone how high his ceiling really is.

This wasn’t Florida’s best day on offense aside from the damage done in the final two innings of the game. Caglianone and Rivera each had a multi-hit game, as did right fielder [autotag]Ty Evans[/autotag]. [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] went 0 for 4 with a walk in his return to the lineup.

Langford is easing his way back and playing designated hitter to limit how much running he does, which means that [autotag]Matt Prevesk[/autotag] got his first start of the season in left field. Prevesk’s bat has been strong off the bench in pinch-hit situations, so getting him some more opportunities at the plate is a good idea. He went 1 for 5 with two strikeouts and a run.

[autotag]Michael Robertson[/autotag] has moved to the No. 9 spot in the lineup and is the perfect second leadoff guy for UF. He went 0 for 2 in Game 1 of the doubleheader but drew three walks and scored twice. It’s almost like starting the lineup at the bottom of the order.

Taking the first game of the series makes winning the weekend seem very attainable for Florida. Things were looking bleak through seven, but it’s never wise to give up on the nation’s top offense when they are down just a few runs.

Florida can take the series with a win in Game 2 of the doubleheader, which starts at 7 p.m. EDT.

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Major takeaways from Florida’s first SEC series vs Alabama

Florida started off the SEC schedule with two strong wins over the Alabama Crimson Tide. Here’s what we learned about the team during the series.

Florida’s first SEC series is in the books and the Gators walked away from a three-game set with Alabama Crimson Tide with a winning record of 2-1.

Both teams faced some adversity from Mother Nature. With a storm set to roll into Gainesville on Saturday, the final game of the series was moved to Friday, forcing the teams to play a doubleheader. For the position players, this isn’t the worst thing in the world, but it’s no easy task to manage a pitching staff when there are 18 innings being played in a day.

Of course, both teams were already figuring out their pitching plans due to starting the series on a Thursday, a day earlier than the rest of Florida’s weekend series this season.

UF played two very good games to start the series. On Thursday, [autotag]Brandon Sproat[/autotag] did what aces do and threw a complete-game one-hit shutout to lead Florida to a 3-0 victory. The early game on Friday was a different story, though.

Alabama had the lead for most of the ball game, but Florida kept chipping back until finally delivering a walk-off, 8-7, win in the bottom of the ninth. Unfortunately, the Gators fell flat in the second game of the day, 6-3.

It was an encouraging first weekend of conference play in many ways for the Gators. Here’s what we learned about the team.

Gators walk it off against Alabama to claim Game 1 of double-header, series

Josh Rivera didn’t need to hit another big fly to end things Friday afternoon against the Alabama Crimson Tide. A tapper between the plate and mound was enough for Florida to claim the game and series.

The Florida Gators trailed the Alabama Crimson Tide all afternoon in the first game of a doubleheader, but the offense continued to chip away until [autotag]Josh Rivera[/autotag] finally delivered a walk-off infield single to put UF on to, 8-7.

Florida entered the bottom of the ninth down one, but third baseman [autotag]Colby Halter[/autotag] quickly tied things up with a solo home run to left field. [autotag]Michael Robertson[/autotag] singled up the middle to give the Gators their fastest runner on base with no outs, and [autotag]Cade Kurland[/autotag] turned his back on an inside pitch to take first and move him over.

[autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag], who started the afternoon on the mound for Florida, had his shot to come through, but he didn’t quite make it happen. A fielder’s choice moved Robertson over to third, though, which was crucial to the game-ending play.

Rivera was coming off a strikeout to freshman Riley Quick in his last at-bat and wasn’t seeing the ball well. He made weak contact that essentially served as a swinging bunt, and Quick couldn’t get to the ball in time before Robertson slid into home.

Florida might be known as a home-run hitting team, but it was small ball that earned them the win at the end on Friday.

Caglianone didn’t have his best stuff on the mound. His fastball was a little flat and it led to a strong day for Alabama’s power hitters, especially lefty clean-up hitter Drew Williamson. He got things started early with a three-run opposite-field home run in the first inning off a Caglianone 97 mph fastball and doubled in a run in the fifth off the slider that usually buckles left-handed hitters. Credit him for being brushed up on the scouting report to win the lefty-on-lefty matchup.

Williamson also drove in a fourth run in the seventh off freshman [autotag]Cade Fisher[/autotag], so that might be the last time Kevin O’Sullivan turns to a lefty to get him. Fisher was the second Gators reliever of the game. [autotag]Nick Ficarotta[/autotag] came in for the sixth after five innings from Caglianone, but he got pulled after running into trouble in the next frame.

[autotag]Ryan Slater[/autotag] ended up closing out the seventh as the third reliever of the night, and [autotag]Phillip Abner[/autotag] came in for him to get the last out of the eight. Abner pitched the ninth, but pitch counts were kept low enough to use some of these arms again in the second game of the doubleheader. Fisher only threw three pitches.

Florida kept pace with Alabama for most of the night. [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] answered Williamson’s three-run home run with one of his own in the bottom of the first to tie things up, and UF scored a run in each of the fifth, sixth and seventh innings.

Kurland hit his second home run in as many games against the SEC and brought his total up to seven on the year — that’s more than [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] — Rivera[/autotag] also hit his ninth homer of the year and [autotag]Michael Robertson[/autotag] singled in the run in the seventh.

One of Florida’s biggest advantages is that it has a good enough offense to stay in any game, and that was on full display Friday. Chipping away slowly until the very end works for this club, even if it’s not the way they usually have to play. It’s a good sign to see this kind of fight early on, and it should come in handy once the playoffs begin.

Top Performers

Riopelle: 2-4, HR (3), 2B; 3 RBI

Rivera: 3-5, HR (9); 2 RBI

Kurland: 2-3, HR (7), 2 HBP; RBI

Abner: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K

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Florida handles UNF in final game before SEC play

Florida got off to a slow start at the plate, but the bats eventually came around and the Gators won their seventh game in a row.

The Florida Gators won their seventh game in a row Tuesday night against the North Florida Ospreys, 7-2, but it took a while for UF’s bats to come around in the final game before conference play begins on Thursday.

UNF’s starter, right-hander Clayton Boroski, was perfect through the game’s first four innings, but things unraveled in the fifth after he surrendered a leadoff walk to Florida shortstop [autotag]Josh Rivera[/autotag]. [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] — who was playing first base today — singled, and right fielder [autotag]Ty Evans[/autotag] singled Rivera in.

Catcher [autotag]Rene Lastres[/autotag] tripled in the tying and go-ahead runs after a pitching change, and center fielder [autotag]Michael Robertson[/autotag] brought him in with a single.

That was enough for Florida to take a 4-2 lead, but Evans brought in two more in the sixth for some insurance. He later stole home after [autotag]Deric Fabian[/autotag] baited UNF’s catcher to throw on a delayed steal. Fabian got another start in left field with [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] still on the mend. He was hit in the groin on a foul ball Friday.

Florida wouldn’t need more than seven runs to win the game, and that’s a good thing because the offense didn’t provide much else through the final three innings of the game.

Right-hander [autotag]Tyler Nesbitt[/autotag], only pitched the first two innings of the game, but he gave up a run in the first, hit a batter and allowed three hits.[autotag]Fisher Jameson[/autotag] came in for the third but ended up giving up that second run. Fortunately, he settled down and pitched two clean innings before handing the ball over to [autotag]Nick Ficarrotta[/autotag] for another three strong innings of relief.

[autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag] threw 23 pitches two days before a big series against No. 24 Alabama, but he should be fine as a former starter that’s used to throwing more pitches.

Kevin O’Sullivan was resting his arms this week with just one game between weekend series, but it will be all hands on deck against the Crimson Tide.

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Florida completes sweep of Siena with second-straight mercy-rule win

Florida had another short day on the diamond as the Gators finished off the sweep of Siena with a 12-2 victory.

Florida completed the sweep of Siena on Sunday, 12-2, behind a strong two-way performance from [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag].

It was a short day for Caglianone. He ended up going just three innings on the mound, but Florida was already up seven and charging toward another mercy rule victory. He struck out three and walked two while giving up a hit. Caglianone also hit a batter in the first.

The reasoning for the short outing is two-fold. Not only did Kevin O’Sullivan want to get his bullpen guys some action in a game that probably wasn’t going the full nine innings, but he wanted to save Caglianone’s arm for next weekend’s series against Alabama, which starts on Thursday.

[autotag]Blake Purnell[/autotag] pitched the next 1 2/3 innings for Florida, leaving a pair of baserunners on for [autotag]Clete Hartzog[/autotag] to clean up. Hartzog couldn’t get them out, though, and Purnell’s ERA climbed to 9.53 on the year.

It’s been a tough start to the season for Purnell, who was Florida’s most-used reliever a year ago, and things don’t look like they are getting better. [autotag]Phillip Abner[/autotag] closed out the game in the seventh with Florida up 12-2.

Florida scored seven across the first two innings. [autotag]Cade Kurland[/autotag] drove in [autotag]Michael Robertson[/autotag] on a single with no outs in the first, and [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] and [autotag]Tyler Shelnut[/autotag] both drove in runs on fielder’s choices to start the game.

Kurland drove in another run on an RBI that would have been a fielder’s choice – this time it was [autotag]Deric Fabian[/autotag] scoring. Then, Caglianone hit his twelfth home run of the season. a three-run shot.

After a rare quiet inning in the third, Caglianone went deep for the second time on the afternoon, and [autotag]Josh Rivera[/autotag] hit his eighth of the year. The back-to-back home runs put Florida one run shy of the run rule after four, and it wouldn’t take long for the Gators to reach the double-digit mark.

Kurland scored on a throwing error in the fifth, and Ripelle drove in Caglianone and Rivera to put UF up by 10 — Siena’s two runs came in the top of the fifth. The bullpen just had to hold on for two innings to secure the win, and Abner and Hartzog were up to the task.

Deric Fabian got the start in left field for an injured Wyatt Langford on Sunday. He batted eighth in the order and finished the night 1 for 3 with a run scored and a walk. He also swiped a pair of bases.

Fabian has an obvious upside, but it’s hard to find him a spot with the .214 batting average. Rivera has shortstop locked down, and there’s little chance Kurland comes out of the lineup anytime soon. [autotag]Colby Halter[/autotag]’s bat is picking up, and [autotag]Tyler Shlenut[/autotag] is the backup at third ahead of Fabian. At first, Caglianone has things locked down when he’s not pitching with Riopelle as his top backup.

It’s good to see him split the starts in left with [autotag]Richie Schiekofer[/autotag] during this series, but [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] will be back soon. It might take another year for Fabian to emerge as a major factor on this Gators team. Transfer questions might start up soon if he continues to stay on the bench.

Florida sweeping Siena this week was a bit expected, but the Saints put up a good fight on Friday and then the pitching gave out. The real test begins on Thursday when Alabama comes to town.

The Gators get one more tune-up game against North Florida on Tuesday at 6 p.m. EDT.

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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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Series Preview: Florida hosting FAU for midweek series

Florida handled Miami over the weekend, and now the Gators are looking for the first midweek series win of the season over the FAU Owls.

Florida has won each of its three weekend series to start the season, but the Gators haven’t figured out how to take a two-game set during the week just yet. After splitting home-and-home series with Jacksonville and South Florida, UF will be hosting the Florida Atlantic Owls on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Like most of Florida’s midweek opponents, FAU isn’t the toughest team to beat in the nation, but it’s still a program that had 35 wins a season ago and is returning the heart of its lineup. Gators head coach Kevin O’Sullivan likes to throw young arms during the week, and this Owls lineup is the type to take advantage of such a situation.

Florida should be able to score more than FAU, though. The Gators lead the nation in hits (164), home runs (35) and slugging percentage (.671) and are top five in both batting average (.350) and runs scored (147). The tandem of [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] and [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] might be the best in all of baseball, and senior leaders [autotag]Josh Rivera[/autotag] and [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] are both shining as well. Freshman [autotag]Cade Kurland[/autotag] has also emerged as one of the team’s most consistent hitters.

Florida takes series against Miami by mercy rule with walk off home run

Jac Caglianone was dominant on the mound as Florida clobbered its way to a mercy-rule victory over Miami on Sunday to claim the regular season series.

Florida claimed its third series victory to start the season on Sunday with a 14-4 win over the No. 22 Miami Hurricanes that only needed eight innings to finish.

Florida got the scoring going early, plating four runs in each of the first two frames and knocking out Miami’s starter, Alejandro Rosario, after just 1 1/3 innings. [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag], [autotag]Ty Evans[/autotag], [autotag]Michael Robertson[/autotag] and [autotag]Deric Fabian[/autotag] hit four consecutive singles to plate the runs in the first, and Riopelle delivered again in the second with a grand slam off Hurricanes reliever Carlos Lequerica.

[autotag]Cade Kurland[/autotag] drove in a ninth run in the third inning, but Florida’s offense slowed down until the final inning of the ball game.

Meanwhile, [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] was once again dominant on the mound. He struck out eight over six innings, allowing just one run on four hits and a walk. Caglianone only really struggled in the fourth, giving up a run on a Zach Levenson sacrifice fly that scored Edgardo Villegas.

Caglianone sat 96 mph with his fastball and topped out at 99 mph. His slider was also working, coming in the low 80s with good horizontal movement. He now boasts a 2.08 ERA through 17 1/3 inning and has 25 strikeouts (13.0 K/9) while holding opposing batters to a .131 average.

[autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag] was tasked with a three-frame save in relief of Caglianone, but he only made it through 1 1/3 innings. Villegas began the scoring in the eighth with an RBI double, and Yohandy Morales delivered his third hit of the night immediately after to add another run. Levenson doubled to score Morales and advance CJ Kayfus to third, and Kevin O’Sullivan went to the bullpen once again.

Freshman left-hander [autotag]Cade Fisher[/autotag] got the call after pitching three perfect innings on Friday, and he got out of the jam immediately thanks to an amazing double play from shortstop [autotag]Josh Rivera[/autotag].

Rivera came up big in the bottom of the eighth too, hitting a solo home run to extend the lead back to eight. It was one of three big flies for Florida during the inning, as [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] hit a two-run homer earlier in the inning and Ty Evans walked it off with a two-run shot off of Sebastian Perez.

Caglianone continues to be a sensation for Florida on Sundays and led the team to a win despite not getting a hit in this one.

“I’ve been doing this my whole life,” Caglianone said after the game. “I knew coming into this that eventually I’d end up going back to being a two-way and everything like that. Coach did a great job just letting me focus on the pitching aspect of things because it was my first outing. And then slowly easing back into everything, it’s a grind for sure but it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

Florida is back at it against FAU on Tuesday and Wednesday for a midweek series at Condron Family Ballpark.

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