Tag: game recap

Florida bats go quiet against Oklahoma State in rout

Oklahoma State hit Jac Caglianone early, and Florida’s offense never found a rhythm against Brian Holiday. The Gators the Huskers again on Sunday, facing elimination.

Florida couldn’t muster up much offense against Brian Holiday and the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Saturday night in a 7-1 loss at the Stillwater Regional.

The Gators’ offense struck out 10 times, reaching safely just twice through nine innings. Tyler Shelnut doubled with two outs in the second inning, and [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] homered in the ninth to break the shutout.

Caglianone’s home run is his 30th of the season, which is historic for a number of reasons. Most probably, it makes him the first back-to-back 30-home run player in college baseball history. Caglianone is just four home runs away from breaking the program career record, but Florida faces elimination on Sunday.

They’ll likely throw [autotag]Pierce Coppola[/autotag] after starting Caglianone on the mound in the loss. The Cowboys hit him well, especially the lefties. Caglianone surrendered four solo home runs, doubling his season total in just two innings. He lasted through the fifth, finishing the day with eight strikeouts and two walks.

[autotag]Ryan Slater[/autotag] walked two but survived the sixth for Florida. The freshmen didn’t fare as well in relief. [autotag]Jake Clemente[/autotag] gave up a two-run bomb and recorded just one out. [autotag]Robert Satin[/autotag] finished the inning and then got the hook after walking the leadoff man in the eighth.

[autotag]Grayson Smith[/autotag] had a decent outing. Erasing the baserunner with a double play ball and striking out three of the eight batters he faced over the final two frames — Florida got last rights as the home team in this winner’s bracket matchup.

A rematch with Nebraska now awaits the Gators on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET.  Winning means another shot at Oklahoma State in the evening, but it will take another win on Monday to win the regional.

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Ashton Wilson’s career day puts Florida over Nebraska in regional opener

Liam Peterson shoves, Ashton Wilson explodes for four extra-base hits and Florida advances to the region’s winner’s bracket. Pretty good way to close out the week for the Orange and Blue.

Florida rode the bat of sophomore outfielder Ashton Wilson to a 5-2 win over Nebraska on Friday, putting the Gators in the winner’s bracket of the Stillwater Regional in the NCAA Baseball Tournament.

Wilson doubled three times and homered in the ninth for a big insurance run. His 10 total bases on the day more than double his season total (9) coming into the game.

“(My confidence level) wasn’t the highest thing in the world (coming into the game),” Wilson said after the game. “I was trying to pass it to the next guy, keep the train moving.”

After 10 total bases on Friday, “it’s definitely higher, no doubt about it.”

Three of Florida’s five runs can be tied directly back to Wilson, but the other two scored off the bat of sophomore second baseman Cade Kurland. He set the tone early with a leadoff home run and delivered again in the eighth to extend a one-run lead.

[autotag]Liam Peterson[/autotag]’s ability to pitch in a big game might have been under question coming into this one, but the freshman right-hander answered any doubts by coming just two outs shy of a quality start — six full innings and three or fewer earned runs.

Peterson started the game with some jitters, which is reasonable for a 19-year-old who celebrated a high school state championship around this time last year. He gave up a run in the first inning but settled down until the sixth after that.

The fastball-changeup mix played well for Peterson all night. He froze several Huskers with his heater, which ran up to 97 mph early on. Nebraska finally knocked him out of the game in the sixth with a solo home run to pull things within one run, but 5 1/3 innings is good work from the first-year Gator.

Peterson didn’t get a ton of run support from Florida. A leadoff home run from Cade Kurland made the first-inning mistakes more palatable, and a two-run double from Wilson in the third gave UF the lead right back.

Fisher Jameson was first out of the bullpen and allowed a two-out single in the sixth after a quick punchout. Luke Heyman erased that base knock with a rifle down to second to catch the runner stealing, a pivotal moment in the game.

Jameson got the first two outs of the seventh. Then, Kevin O’Sullivan turned to his closer, Brandon Neely, for a seven-out save.

Neely got the final out of the seventh with three pitches, but the eighth was a nightmare for him. A pair of groundballs through the right side put the go-ahead run at the plate with just one out, and a close call on a full-count slider at the top of the strike zone loaded the bases.

A line out to center field came in shallow enough to hold the runner at third, and Neely escaped the jam by blowing an elevated, 96-mph fastball by Dylan Carey.

Risking the double play could have been disastrous for Nebraska, especially while needing two runs to tie it, but ending the inning without any runs made holding the runner at third the wrong call in hindsight.

Kurland gave Florida an insurance run to work with in the eighth, singling in  Dale Thomas, and Wilson added to his monster day with a towering home run to left field. The ball hit the scoreboard, just missing Wilson’s name.

Neely returned for the ninth and got through it with just seven pitches. A quick fly out to center field for out No. 1, and a 6-4-3 double play to end it after a one-out single. It took a lengthy review — the third of the day — but a confirmation only meant that Florida got to celebrate the win twice.

On Saturday, Florida will play the winner of the Oklahoma State-Niagara matchup that begins at 7 p.m. ET Friday night.

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Florida baseball bounced from SEC Tournament in opening round

Florida’s run in Hoover was brief this year as the Vanderbilt Commodores knocked the Gators out of the SEC Tournament in the first round.

There will be no miracle run from the Florida Gators at the 2024 SEC Tournament in Hoover, Alabama.

Florida fell, 6-3, to Vanderbilt Tuesday night in a game that was all Commodores until the final two frames.

[autotag]Pierce Coppola[/autotag] went 3 2/3 innings for the Gators, allowing four earned runs on as many hits and one walk. Despite the damage, Coppola struck out five and threw a season-high 74 pitches. If the draft doesn’t get him, he’s a potential ace for the program next year.

A leadoff walk doomed the second inning for Coppola. A follow-up double put two men in scoring position, and Vanderbilt did what good teams do and scored both runners on sacrifice flies.

Coppola got through the third, 1-2-3, and almost out of the fourth after sandwiching a single between a pair of strikeouts. With two outs, Vanderbilt got to him for two more RBI base hits, knocking Coppola out of the game.

[autotag]Jake Clemente[/autotag] took over and got the fly out to center he needed to stop the bleeding, but Florida was staring at a four-run deficit halfway through the game.

Vanderbilt’s No. 9 hitter Calvin Hewitt took Clemente deep to start the fifth, but that was the only earned run of the day for him. An error in the seventh led to a sixth run crossing for Vandy, but that doesn’t affect Clemente’s numbers.

[autotag]Fisher Jameson[/autotag] took over at that point and sent all four batters he faced back to the pine. Florida finally started to put some offense together, but it was too little and too late to impact the end result.

[autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] scored in the eighth on a [autotag]Colby Shelton[/autotag] groundout after moving from first to third on a series of passed balls on wild pitches. Micahel Robertson homered, scoring [autotag]Brody Donay[/autotag], in the ninth to make the score somewhat respectable.

Florida must now wait until the various conference tournaments conclude to find out whether it makes the NCAA Tournament Field of 64 or not. With a high RPI ranking and the top strength of schedule in the country, the Gators seem poised to receive an at-large bid to a regional. Getting out of that regional alive is a different story entirely, though.

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Florida baseball drops crucial series opener against Georgia

Florida needs to win this weekend series in Athens, but it’s going to be tough after dropping the opener to Georgia, 9-4.

Florida’s path to the NCAA Tournament got much harder after falling 9-4 against Georgia in the series opener on Thursday night.

Things started off ugly for Florida start [autotag]Pierce Coppola[/autotag], who had steadily improved in each of his first four appearances. He hit the first batter he saw, leading to a Charlie Condon single. A couple of flyouts advanced the runners and scored a run, and a Paul Toetz homer made it 3-0 in favor of Georgia early.

Coppola gave a leadoff homer in the second and was pulled in the third after putting the first two runners in scoring position. [autotag]Jake Clemente[/autotag] took over and stranded both runners after striking out a pair.

Clemente sat down the first seven batters he faced only to get the intentional walk sign from the dugout with Condon at the plate. That threw off Clemente’s rhythm. Tre Phelps doubled for the second time, and a groundout brought in a run.

Toetz added another RBI to his stat line with a single to left and income [autotag]Fisher Jameson[/autotag] took over for Clemente, allowing another run to score on a double before striking out Carter for out No. 3.

Florida didn’t make much noise while Georgia ran up the score, but [autotag]Luke Heyman[/autotag] and [autotag]Brody Donay[/autotag] homered in the third and fourth, respectively, to put something on the board.

The Gators didn’t score again until the ninth. Heyman homered for the second time, but that just made it a five-run game.

Recapping the rest of the arms Florida threw in the loss: [autotag]Cade Fisher[/autotag] walked the only batter he faced, Ryan Slater gave up a home run to Carter in the seventh and [autotag]Frank Menendez[/autotag] pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings despite allowing three baserunners (two walks, one hit).

Florida needs to win on Friday to have a shot at the NCAA Tournament. First pitch has been moved up to 1 p.m. ET in anticipation of inclement weather.

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Florida can’t complete comeback, drops series to Kentucky

Florida submitted another bid for a comeback win against an SEC opponent, but the Kentucky Wildcats won the 10th and final frame of the game (and series).

Florida battled back from a three-run deficit against Kentucky on Sunday to force extra innings but the 10th frame was unkind to the Gators who fell, 7-5, and dropped a sixth straight series for the first time during the [autotag]Kevin O’Sullivan[/autotag] era.

The Wildcats plated the only three runs of the first six innings, scoring first on an error in center field, then on a single and again on a ground out. [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] wasn’t his sharpest early on, getting in several 2-0 counts. Still, he worked into the seventh inning and delivered a quality start.

It’s hard to deny that Cags is a legitimate two-way prospect with the draft only two months away. His command is much more refined and he’s learning how to really draw the swing and miss with his secondaries — notwithstanding today’s three-strikeout performance.

Florida finally got on the board in the bottom of the seventh off a pinch-hit double from [autotag]Ashton Wilson[/autotag]. Two runs scored, pulling UF within one run. Before Wilson’s double, Kentucky starter Mason Moore had retired 11 straight batters.

[autotag]Jake Clemente[/autotag] was the first arm out of the bullpen for Florida. He faced five batters before handing the ball over to [autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag] in the eighth. Neely held the score at 3-2 in the ninth and [autotag]Tyler Shlenut[/autotag] tied things up in the bottom of the inning with a solo home run — No. 13 on the year.

O’Sullivan decided to stick it out with his closer in the 10th. Most relievers don’t get more than two innings, but Neely is a starter-closer hybrid who can usually go four or five strong, if needed. The Wildcats got to him immediately, putting the first two men on the corners.

A walk loaded the bases, but Neely had a chance to get out of it after drawing a foul out. He got the ground ball he needed, but it was hit softly between second and the mound. Neely laid out to make a play, but Caglianone also went for it leaving first base uncovered. Everyone advances. Kentucky leads, 4-3.

A strikeout brought Neely closer to getting out of the jam without much damage, but a double over Shelnut’s head in right cleared the bases. Shelnut got a bad jump on it, but the ball probably clears him no matter what.

Neely hit the next batter, forcing Sully to the bullpen. Luke McNeillie struck out the only batter he faced to end the top of the 10th.

Caglianone singled to start off the bottom of the frame and eventually scored on a Hayden Yost double down the left-field line. [autotag]Colby Shelton[/autotag] also scored on Yost’s double, but Landon Russell struck out to end the game as a pinch hitter for [autotag]Michael Robertson[/autotag] (defensive replacement for Guy Wilson).

With the loss, Florida’s record is now 26-25 with three games remaining against the Georgia Bulldogs. Florida must finish the season with a .500 record or better to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. This is a must-win series.

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Florida jumps out to early lead for midweek win over USF

Jac Caglianone got Florida on the board early and the Gators never looked back in a 4-1 win over South Florida Tuesday night.

Florida took the lead early Tuesday off a [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] solo home run and cruised to a 4-1 win over USF, wrapping up midweek action for the 2024 regular season.

The Gators plated a run in each of the first three innings. Hayden Yost grounded into a double play in the second to score one, and a throwing error by the Bulls’ shortstop in the third allowed Caglianone to cross the plate a second time.

Florida ended the day with 11 hits, but it was hard to score runs after the third. [autotag]Tyler Shelnut[/autotag] doubled in [autotag]Colby Shelton[/autotag] in the eighth, and that’s all the meaningful offense UF put together Tuesday night.

Still, it was enough for the bullpen to deliver the win. USF hit safely just five times, scoring on a solo homer in the sixth. [autotag]Liam Peterson[/autotag] made the start for UF, but he only went one inning after throwing four on Friday. He should fit back into Florida’s rotation, likely taking over the Game 2 slot again.

The reason that seems likely is that Kevin O’Sullivan has moved [autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag] back into the bullpen to serve as the closer. He earned his second save of the season, facing the minimum in the ninth.

[autotag]Cade Fisher[/autotag] got the win after throwing 2 2/3 innings of one-hit baseball in relief of Peterson. [autotag]Fisher Jameson[/autotag] was next out of the ‘pen. Besides the home run, he was fine, striking out two and walking one of the eight batters he faced. [autotag]Luke McNeillie[/autotag] struck out three of the five batters he faced, and Jake Clemente faced the minimum in the eighth.

Florida hosts Kentucky on Friday at 6:30 p.m. ET for the final three-game home series of the regular season.

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Florida embarrassed by No. 3 Tennessee in series finale

Things looked really good for Florida on Saturday for five innings, then the No.3-ranked Tennessee Volunteers put up 11 in the sixth…

Florida and No. 3 Tennessee battled for 23 innings this weekend, and then the Volunteers asserted their dominance over the Gators as the home bullpen surrendered 11 runs in the sixth inning en route to a 16-3 run-rule loss on Saturday.

Despite the final score, things looked good for Florida through five innings. The Gators spotted Jac Caglianone a three-run lead through as many frames, and the Golden Spikes candidate was on his way to a sixth win.

The Volunteers got to Caglianone for two off a Hunter Ensley home run in the fourth, but the bullpen went provided the full meltdown two innings later. Caglianone took the loss after allowing the go-ahead run on base with no outs in the sixth.

Ryan Slater was the first victim out of Florida’s bullpen. Tennessee immediately plated three off back-to-back hits. Slater started the season strong, but he hasn’t been able to find much success in recent weeks. Former Florida catcher BT Riopelle described it as an all-around funk a few weeks ago.

Cade Fisher, Florida’s Friday night starter turned reliever, took over next to similar results. He walked in a run, allowed another to score on a wild pitch strikeout and gave up a three-run bomb. When all was said and done, Slater was charged with three runs on two hits and a hit batter, and Fisher ate six earned runs off three hits and two walks. Ugly.

Rubbing salt in the wound is that Florida’s scheduled Friday night starter this week, Pierce Coppola, warmed up in the game’s middle innings. Kevin O’Sullivan has established that they aren’t looking to use Coppola in relief, but that’s the poorest-timed bullpen Sully could dream up.

Landon Russell got the seventh and gave up three more. Not many people were left to see it, and the SEC run rule has never felt more merciful. Tennessee outhit Florida 14-4 on the day. Cade Kurland doubled and Ty Evans homered. Caglianone’s hit streak extends to 26 games in a row.

A fifth-straight series loss for Florida is a record under Kevin O’Sullivan and it keeps the team’s playoff chances in question. Now 24-23, Florida has just seven games remaining in the regular season.

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Florida baseball evens up weekend series with No. 3 Tennessee

After dropping the first half of a doubleheader earlier in the day, Florida baseball took down No. 3 Tennessee to force a series rubber match.

The fans in Gainesville and watching along on SEC Network+ had to hold their breath until the very last out, but the Florida Gators held on Friday night against the No. 3 Tennessee Volunteers, 4-3, and forced a rubber match on Saturday.

Liam Peterson delivered his best start in weeks, hurling four scoreless innings while allowing just one hit (a triple) and two walks. He struck out seven of his 12 outs came via the strikeout and also hit two batters.

There are still some command issues to worry about with Peterson. Four free bases aren’t ideal, but the rest of Peterson’s night made up for those small blemishes. If the Gators can get this version of him every time out, they’ll make a much deeper run in the postseason than people expect.

Fisher Jameson took over in the fifth and almost immediately gave up the shutout, but he regrouped to strike out six of the next seven batters he faced. A home run in the eighth makes his line a bit uglier on paper than it was in real life.

Luke McNeillie came in for the save with the tying man at the plate and the heart of Tennessee’s lineup coming up. A pair of walks and a fielder’s choice made it a one-run game and put the winning run on first base, but Billy Amick fouled out to Luke Heyman at first to close out the game.

Most of Florida’s runs came early. Brody Donay and Colby Shelton homered in the third to give the Gators a three-run lead. Cade Kurland came through with two outs and a full count in the eighth, driving in what ended up being the deciding run.

The series will be decided Saturday at 6:30 p.m. in Condron Family Ballpark.

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Gators fizzle out after answering Vols in Game 1 of doubleheader

Florida came up short in Game 1 of an important weekend series against No. 3 Tennessee. The Gators will have to win the second game of a doubleheader to force a rubber match on Saturday.

It seemed like Florida was up for a dogfight early, but the Gators failed to score after the second inning on Friday afternoon in the series opener (and first game of a doubleheader) against Tennessee. The Volunteers won, 6-2, behind the relief arm of AJ Causey.

Left-handed spot starter Chris Stamos started the day on the mound for Tennessee. He got through three innings without much damage — Brody Donay homered off him in the second —  but he left with the game tied and didn’t factor into the decision.

Causey went five-plus innings, baffling Florida’s lineup until the ninth. He struck out seven without walking one and kept the bullpen fresh for the second game of the doubleheader.

Donny’s homer ended up being Florida’s lone highlight at the plate. The Gators finished the game with seven hits, but two came in the ninth and were negated by a double play to end it.

Jac Caglianone’s eighth-inning base hit is also notable because it extended his hit streak to 26 games. Caglianone moved Ty Evans over to third on that hit, but Florida squandered that opportunity with a strikeout and double play.

Brandon Neely got the start for UF. He ran into trouble in the second and third, giving up four earned runs on seven hits. Neely bounced back in the fourth, striking out the side swinging.

Redshirt freshman Jake Clemente took over in the fifth and struck out five of the seven batters he faced through. He ran into a little trouble in the seventh after a mound visit, but freshman lefty Frank Menendez got out of the inning.

Clemente has been getting more opportunities in recent weeks, and performances like this will only give Sully more confidence in him. Menendez has a rougher outing. A leadoff double and walk in the eighth knocked him out of the game.

Ryan Slater closed out the eighth, and Blake Purnell got the ninth. Purnell hit the first batter he saw and was saved with a line-drive double play, but he gave up back-to-back singles through the left side to bring Sully out.

Freshman Grayson Smith took over and got a ground ball between first and second. Caglianone laid out for it and the ball kicked out of his glove for an RBI base hit.

In the end, those insurance runs didn’t mean much with Florida’s lackluster offense. The doubleheader resumes around 7 p.m. on SEC Network+.

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Gators baseball takes down FAU Owls in midweek clash

Florida had to battle a bit more than its used to during the midweek, but the Gators came out on top Tuesday night against the FAU Owls.

Florida and FAU traded runs all night, but the Gators emerged victorious Tuesday over the Owls, 10-8.

Four Gators put together multi-hit games, including right fielder Ty Evans who drove in a team-high three runs. Second baseman Cade Kurland also homered, his ninth of the year.

Florida had FAU’s arms figured out, walking seven times to five strikeouts on the nights.

Ryan Slater earned the win in relief of Cade Fisher, who went 1 1/3 innings in his start. It wasn’t a banner night for the pitching staff, as walks and hits came in bunches for FAU.

Frank Menendez, Jake Clemente and Fisher Jameson each three 1 2/3 innings. Clemente was the only one to deny the Owls a run; although, one of the two runs that scored off Menendez was unearned.

Freshman outfielder Hayden Yost reached base safely four times, scoring three of the Gators 10 runs. Head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said that Yost would be getting plenty of opportunities down the stretch, and games like tonight help explain that decision.

Florida is back at home on Thursday to open a three-game series with the Tennessee Volunteers. First pitch is at 7 p.m. on ESPN 2.

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