Tag: game recap

Shelnut belts 3-run homer to put Florida over Vanderbilt

Florida didn’t get the series win it wanted in Nashville this weekend, but at least the Gators left Vanderbilt with a win on Saturday.

Things didn’t go the way Florida wanted this weekend, but the Gators didn’t left Nashville with the last laugh, beating the Vanderbilt Commodores, 6-2, on Saturday.

Tyler Shelnut’s three-run home run in the fifth turned the momentum Florida’s way, and he added two more to the tally with a two-run double in the ninth.

Before Shelnut got going, Florida struggled to hit Vanderbilt starter JD Thompson, but a fourth-inning ejection shifted the momentum in UF’s favor.

Florida’s dugout argued that Thompson was going to his arm, with the thought being that foreign substance was in play. The umpires conferred and ejected Thompson just after a Cade Kurland double put the first Florida run of the day on the board.

Colby Shelton also had two hits for Florida’s offense. Jac Caglianone’s home run streak ended at nine, which is good for a share of the NCAA record for consecutive games with a homer.

Caglianone went five innings on the mound. He gave up two earned runs on six hits and three walks while fanning five. The command wasn’t quite there like it was earlier in the year, but he still threw 60 of his 100 pitches for strikes.

Cade Fisher took over for Caglianone, but thing went bad fast. He walked two batters and hit another, forcing Kevin O’Sullivan to give him the hook before he got through an inning.

Fisher Jameson was dominant the rest of the way, though. He struck out six of the 11 batters he faced and allowed just one hit. Efficient.

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Gators baseball drops Game 2, series against Vanderbilt

Florida won’t leave Nashville with a series win after dropping the second game of the weekend set against Vanderbilt.

Florida’s offense couldn’t figure out Vanderbilt’s pitching staff for most of Saturday night, leading to a 5-2 loss that guarantees the Commodores a win in the three-game series that concludes Saturday.

The Gators struck out 12 times, including 10 against Vanderbilt’s starter, left-hander Carter Holton, who threw seven innings. The only time Florida got to Holton was in the sixth, when Brody Donay and Jac Caglianone each hit solo home runs.

Caglianon’s blast tied an NCAA record for most consecutive games with a homer at nine. Fifteen of his 23 home runs have come against lefties.

Luke Heyman provided Florida’s other two hits on the night. He singled twice, which should help his numbers after a nasty slump at the plate. Still, Colby Shelton and Tyler Shelnut struck out three times apiece. Florida can’t expect to win with no support from the middle of the order. The pitching staff simply isn’t experience enough to win these low-scoring duels.

Pierce Coppola made his second start for Florida. He gave up two runs on three hits and a walk while striking out just one over 1 2/3 innings. Liam Peterson took over after Coppola, throwing three innings of one-run ball.

Ryan Slater kept things close after Florida put up the two run to make it a one-run game, but Luke McNeille allowed Vandy to tack on two runs in the eighth. Fisher Jameson struck out the only batter he faced.

Florida and Vanderbilt conclude the series on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET.

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Florida embarrassed in Tally as FSU completes sweep

Florida baseball got embarrassed Tuesday night by in-state rival FSU in a run-rule victory to give the ‘Noles the season sweep.

Florida’s low point in 2024 just got a bit lower and there’s no sign of the freefall subsiding after a 19-4 run-rule loss to No. 10 Florida State on Tuesday night in Tallahassee.

Things looked good early on. The Gators wasted no time getting on the board. Cade Kurland and Jac Caglianone hit back-to-back homers off Florida State starter John Abraham to start the game, but it was all FSU from there.

That 2-0 lead evaporated immediately, and Florida State went up 5-2 on a fielding error that knocked starter Ryan Slater out of the game. Fisher Jameson was first out of the bullpen, followed by Alex Philpott in the second, Robert Satin and Grayson Smith in the fourth and Reilly Witmer in the sixth.

Philpott had the worst night, giving up five runs (all earned) on seven hits and a hit batter over 2 2/3 innings. Both Philpott and Smith gave up two a pair of homers. Florida State went deep five times in total. Witmer was the only Florida arm to end the night without giving up a run.

Florida State put up a crooked number in four of the first five innings, jumping out to a 19-3 lead. Florida tacked on a run in the second, but the bats went cold after that.

While it’s usually polite to call a game like this a “run-rule win,” this was truly a “mercy-rule” kind of game. Things aren’t looking good for the Gators, who fall to 17-15 overall.

A weekend series at home against South Carolina is the last chance for Kevin O’Sullivan to get the team right ahead of the toughest portion of the schedule.

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Florida loses shootout to Missouri, Gators swept by Tigers

It seemed like Florida would make it out of Missouri with at least one win, but the Tigers scored three in the ninth to sweep the Gators.

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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Florida baseball drops Game 2, series against Missouri

Florida took its first lead of the series in the sixth, but a wild pitch threw away the win and the series for the Gators against Missouri.

Florida outhit Missouri on Saturday but the Gators fell to the Tigers, 4-3, dropping their first weekend series of the season.

Liam Peterson delivered his best start since the beginning of SEC play, but four wild pitches on the day led to a sloppy final line. He gave up four runs — all earned — on four hits and a pair of walks. Two of those runs scored on spiked breaking balls, handing the game to Missouri in the bottom of the sixth.

It wasn’t a bad start for Peterson, though. He went six innings without too much trouble and retired 10 straight batters before a dropped third strike put a man on. Peterson’s got really good stuff, but those wild pitches cost him with men on third base. Take those away and its a quality start and potentially a win.

Florida’s team-wide slump at the plate continued, except for Jac Caglianone’s two hits. His 15th home run of the season put Florida ahead briefly in the top of the sixth, but then Peterson gave away the lead.

Broday Donay, Ty Evans, Colby Shelton and Tyler Shelnut struck out twice — Evans for the sixth time in the past two games. Hardly anyone in Orange and Blue is seeing the ball well. The ones that are — Luke Heyman, in particular — are delivering hard-hit balls right into gloves.

Blake Purnell pitched the seventh and eight for Florida. He looked good (except for one ball thrown behind a batter), striking out three and facing the minimum.

Bringing in Purnell after Peterson worked well. Peterson is overpowering with a 95-97 mph fastball that comes out of the three-quarters arm slot, and Purnell has that 89-90 mph stuff that plays well with his funky delivery. The two combined for 12 punchouts.

The Gators are going to take a hit in the rankings this week. Missouri entered the series with just one SEC win, and Florida’s saving grace was that it won big weekend series against good teams after blowing it in the midweek.

Caglianone takes the mound on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET with hopes of righting the ship.

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Caglianone delivers walk-off win to claim Mississippi St. series

Jac Caglianone is the guy Florida wanted at the plate down a run in the bottom of the ninth, and he came through to avoid his first pitching loss of the season.

Florida only managed four hits agaisnt Mississippi State on Sunday, but the Gators made them all count, winning, 4-3, on a two-run, walk-off home run from Jac Caglianone.

The comeback started with Ty Evans taking a ball to the elbow, but it set up a walk-off opportunity for the Gators’ most dangerous bat, and Cags did not miss his pitch. He crushed a ball over the right field wall for his team-leading 13th home run of the season and Florida’s 16th win of the year.

“There’s no better way to start Easter man,” Caglianone said. “The whole thing for me was move the ball and get Ty into scoring position… it just turned out that way.”

Another solid outing

Caglianone also started on the mound for Florida, as he does every Sunday. He carried a no-hitter into the fifth but a hustle double from Connor Hujsak to lead off the inning set up the first run of the game.

More trouble came in the sixth for Caglianone. He walked four batters, one with the bases loaded, and got the hook in favor of Luke McNeillie. Caglianone said that he wasn’t happy with the way things ended on the mound, but it was his job to make up for it at the plate.

The freshman is settling in

McNeillie was tabbed as the fourth starter in the rotation to start the season, but he struggled during the midweek and moved to a bullpen role where he has shined.

He’s thrown 10 innings across five appearances without giving up a run, including 3 1/3 frames today. McNeillie has struck out 14 batters over that stretch compared to just four walks.

One aspect of it is that McNeillie can let loose as a reliever, even if he’s expected to throw multiple innings. As a starter, pitchers typically ramp up their velocity over five or more innings, but relievers can come out throwing as hard as they can. McNeillie touched 97 mph with his fastball today, punching out the best bat in MSU’s lineup.

Another series win for Florida

The Gators have yet to lose a series in SEC play, which bodes well for tournament play, but there are obvious depth issues in Gainesville. Also, both of these wins required walk-offs — not just comebacks — to win.

Florida is back at Condron Family Ballpark on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. ET to host Florida A&M. Then, the Gators hit the road for another SEC series, but it’s against the worst team in the league, Missouri.

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Florida baseball routed by Mississippi State to even up series

Florida came into Saturday’s game against Mississippi State with a ton of momentum after walking it off, but things went sour quickly.

Florida mounted a comeback Friday night to beat Mississippi State, but no such heroics were present on Saturday as the Bulldogs evened up the series with a 12-2 victory.

Liam Peterson was fine for three innings and then he imploded in the fourth. Back-to-back homers and four singles turned into five runs, and it was all off hard-hit balls. No errors, no bloopers, just good hitting from Mississippi State.

Grayson Smith took over for Peterson with two outs in the fourth. He got out of the frame without giving up any more runs, but the fifth was a different story. Two more home runs made it 8-1, and a leadoff walk in the sixth brought in Alex Philpott.

Another three-spot in the sixth put the mercy rule in play, but Florida answer with one to force a nine-inning game. The Bulldogs only scored one more run — another home run in the ninth — but it never felt like the Gators would come back.

Perhaps the ugliest moment of the night came during that three-run sixth. A would-be fly out to right field fell between Jac Caglianone, Ty Evans and Cade Kurland as the two infielders crashed into each other. Little league stuff…

Most of the lineup struggled to figure out Mississippi State starter Jurrangelo Cijntje, but Tanner Garrison and Cade Kurland both drove in runs.

This is the kind of loss that teams go through every now and then. Shaking it off and bouncing back to win the series on Sunday is all that matters now that it’s over.

Florida and Mississippi State are back at it tomorrow at 1 p.m. ET.

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Florida completes comeback to win Mississippi St. series opener

Never in doubt. The Florida Gators rallied back to erase a four-run deficit over the final two frames on Friday night, beating Mississippi State.

Florida trailed for most of the night, but the Gators rallied for five runs over the final two frames to take the series opener against Mississippi State Friday night, 7-6.

Cade Kurland delivered the final blow, but the comeback started brewing in the eighth after a long string of zeroes on the scoreboard for Florida. Mississippi State couldn’t find a bullpen arm to close it out and surrendered three runs in the bottom of the ninth to blow it.

Hayden Yost started things off with a single to left, followed by an Armando Albert walk. Michael Robertson and Colby Shelton struck out swinging on both sides of a pitching change, but Nolan Stevens wouldn’t get another out.

Ty Evans singled to left, bringing Florida within one run of Mississippi State, Jac Caglianone put so much spin on a groundball that he wound up safe at first and Tyler Shelnut worked a walk on a 3-2 count to tie it up.

Kurland started his at-bat down a strike because of a time violation, but the sophomore second baseman didn’t blink down 0-2 in the count. A line drive right by the pitcher’s glove sealed the victory for Florida and the party in Gainesville began.

Welcome back to the starting rotation, Neely

Brandon Neely’s first start of the season was a mixed bag. He allowed just one run through the first three innings. A walk and steal set up an RBI single in the third, but it was the fourth that brought real trouble.

Neely hit the No. 6 hitter, Aaron Downs, with one out and gave up back-to-back singles before loading the bases with a walk. Another hit batter scored a run. Leadoff man Amani Larry checked his swing and just barely managed to keep from going around.

That brought Kevin O’Sullivan out and Cade Fisher replaced Neely on the mound. Fisher looks like he’ll revert to the top spot in the bullpen now that he’s out of the Friday night slot. Neely’s start didn’t go the way he wanted, but Sully is going to give him time to figure things out.

Fisher gave up two more runs — one on a sacrifice fly and the other on a bases-loaded walk, but both were charged to Neely’s line.

Gators chip away

Neither team scored during the fifth and sixth innings. Fisher settled in and looked far more comfortable than he’s been all season, but Mississippi State starter Khal Stephen was in the middle of a career night. He held the Gators to just two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out eight.

Florida couldn’t figure out Stephen for most of the night. Ty Evans and Tanner Garrison each hit solo homers, but neither rattled the Bulldogs’ new ace.

Cam Schuelke took over for Stephen on the mound. He flashed several different deliveries from different arm slots, dispatching the bottom of  Florida’s order with relative ease. That’s when Yost entered the game for third baseman Dale Thomas and switched positions with left fielder Tyler Shelnut.

Florida finally got back on the board in the eighth, plating two runs after Tyler Davis gifted a pair of walks to open the frame. Caglianone moved both runners into scoring position, and Shelnut drove in the first run with a groundout to third. Cade Kurland doubled down the left-field line to make it 6-4 heading into the ninth.

That sixth Bulldogs run came in the seventh thanks to another steal of second base, followed by an RBI single.

Florida and Mississippi are back at it at Condron Family Ballpark on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET.

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Florida drops midweek matchup with FSU in Jacksonville

Florida couldn’t tie up the season series against Florida State in Jacksonville Tuesday night, and it was an ugly one.

Florida might be one of the best weekend teams in the country, but the middle of the week continues to be a mystery for the Gators. On Tuesday, UF fell, 14-3, to Florida State in eight innings.

A run-rule loss is hard enough to swallow, but doing so to an in-state rival while both teams are ranked in the top 25 makes it even tougher.

Florida, which acted as the home team, kept pace with FSU through three innings, matching a three-run first with a Jac Caglianone home run that snuck over the wall in left field. But the ‘Noles came to hit and added runs in each of the final five innings.

More bullpen woes

Kevin O’Sullivan threw freshman right-hander Alex Philpott again to see Florida State for a second time. Philly went 3 1/3 innings and looked decent, but his final line of five earned runs on seven hits and just one strikeout isn’t ideal.

Ryan Slater took over in the fourth but couldn’t stop that fifth run from coming through. Sully went back to the bullpen in the fifth, using Blake Purnell for one batter and Frank Menendez to close out the frame. Menendez nearly made it through the sixth, but he gave up two runs with two outs, bringing in Fisher Jameson.

Grayson was the final arm out of the bullpen. He gave up five runs, including a grand slam, putting the run rule into effect.

No offense

Meanwhile, Florida couldn’t figure out any of the FSU arms. Caglianone’s homer and a double later on made up two of the three Gators hits, and Florida struck out 13 times on the night.

The series is lost, but Florida can make a statement in Tallahassee by avoiding the sweep on April 9. That game will air on ESPN 2.

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Florida mercy rules LSU to secure weekend series win

Florida ended its weekend series in Baton Rouge an inning early with a mercy-rule victory over the LSU that also gave the Gators the series.

Florida got the last laugh in Baton Rouge this weekend as the Gators defeated the LSU Tigers, 12-2, via the mercy rule on Sunday to win an important three-game series.

Jac Caglianone didn’t have his best stuff, but he went seven innings strong for Florida. Caglianone struggled with command, walking five batters. He struck out five to even the ratio and only gave up two earned runs (one earned). Somehow, Caglianone improved on the 1.77 ERA he had coming into this game.

“Experience and comfortability,” Caglianone said when asked what’s changed for him over the past season. “When I have an offense like this to kind of back me up on Sundays, there’s no better feeling than knowing you have a two-run lead and you’ve just got to hold it.

“Keep the composure, not let anything spiral and that’s kind of what we did. We took care of it today.”

Florida’s bats caught fire in the fifth, leading to a six-spot on the scoreboard. Colby Shelton and Cade Kurland hit two-run homers, and Luke Heyman drove in two more with a double. Shelton homered again in the sixth, putting him in a five-way tie for fourth-most in the country with 12 on the year.

Ty Evans, Jac Caglianone and Shelnut hit back-to-back-to-back homers in the eighth. With the run rule in effect, Florida’s closer Brandon Neely came in to close out the win. He struck out the first two batters on six pitches but missed the immaculate inning on the ninth pitch.

A grounder to end the game early is just as good, though, and Florida takes the series after things looked bleak halfway through Game 2 on Saturday.

The lineup change Kevin O’Sullivan initiated after Game 1 seemed to really affect the team. Maintaining that energy moving forward will be key. Peaking at the beginning of SEC play is still a reality with so much competition around the league.

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