Tag: Jac Caglianone

SEC Tournament: Florida edges South Carolina in extra innings

After giving up the tying run in the ninth, Florida bounced back to win it in the bottom of the 10th versus South Carolina.

Florida baseball third baseman [autotag]Colby Halter[/autotag] hit a fly ball to center field with two runners in scoring position with only one out in the bottom of the 10th inning. The Gators’ right fielder [autotag]Ty Evans[/autotag] tagged up at third base as South Carolina’s Evan Stone made the catch. Stone then heaved the ball home that beat him home by a country mile and Gamecocks’ catcher Talmadge LeCroy tagged Evans out. But the baseball popped out of his glove after the tag.

The home plate umpire ruled Evans safe, and Florida will live to fight for another day as it beats the Gamecocks, 2-1, in the opening round of the SEC tournament in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday. The No. 7-seeded Gators advance to the second round where they will play No. 2-seeded Texas A&M on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. EDT.

Through the first three innings, Florida’s lineup only registered two hits and a walk. Head coach [autotag]Kevin O’Sullivan[/autotag]’s team then scored its lone run of the game in the fourth inning. Shortstop [autotag]Joshua Rivera[/autotag] doubled down the right-field line. Designated hitter [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] followed by singling to shortstop and then South Carolina committed a throwing error to plate Rivera.

Starter [autotag]Brandon Sproat[/autotag] outdueled Gamecocks’ starter Will Sanders who went seven innings while only surrendering four hits, three walks and one run that was unearned. Sproat meanwhile went 8 1/3 innings and finished allowing four hits, one earned run and a walk while striking out seven Gamecocks. He also carried a no-hitter until the seventh inning.

South Carolina finally broke through in the ninth inning. O’Sullivan made the gutsy call to stick with Sproat with just over 100 pitches thrown. Second baseman Braylen Wimmer and designated hitter Josiah Sightler singled to put runners on the corner with one out.

Florida then called on reliever [autotag]Ryan Slater[/autotag] to try to force a ground ball for a double play. Right fielder Andrew Eyster hit a ground ball to Halter but it was too slow with the glove. The Gators only got the pinch-runner out at second, and South Carolina knotted the game up at 1-1.

Then the Gators walked it off in the bottom of the 10th via Halter’s sacrifice fly.

The Gators will return to the ballpark in Hoover to face the Aggies at 5:30 p.m. EDT and can be seen on SEC Network.

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Wyatt Langford blasts a pair of homers (again!) to beat South Carolina

Florida baseball used two homers from Wyatt Langford to blow by South Carolina on Thursday night at Condron Ballpark.

Florida baseball left fielder [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] hit a lead-off bomb to kick off the game versus South Carolina and then went long again in the bottom of the eighth inning for his second straight game with two home runs. His power outburst again helped the Gators defeat the Gamecocks, 14-5, Thursday at Condron Ballpark in the opening game of the regular season’s final series.

Langford finished the game 2-for-4 with that pair of solo shots and a walk. His first home run versus South Carolina was his 20th of the season, giving him sole possession of the team lead for the most dingers. He also became the just sixth Florida batter to crush that many round-trippers in a season.

South Carolina briefly grabbed the lead from the Gators in the top of the third. Starter [autotag]Brandon Sproat[/autotag] plunked two Gamecocks and walked a third to load the bases. Their right fielder Andrew Eyster then doubled in a pair of runs, 2-1.

Florida knotted it up at two apiece when [autotag]Jud Fabian[/autotag] doubled in second baseman [autotag]Sterlin Thompson[/autotag].

Then the Gators provided offensive fireworks. Right fielder [autotag]Ty Evans[/autotag] homered to center field. Thompson, with the bases juiced, lined out to left field to drive in another run on a sac fly, giving them the 4-2 lead.

The Gamecocks tied the game up once more in the top of the fifth. They scored a run via a shortstop [autotag]Joshua Rivera[/autotag] error and doubled in another.

Florida hit back-to-back-to-back singles to start the fifth. On the third one, designated hitter [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] drove in catcher [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag]. The Gators then pushed across two more runs via sacrifice flies to increase their lead to 7-4. They then tacked on seven more insurance runs while allowing South Carolina to only add one in the final innings to cruise to a 14-5 win.

Sproat went 6 1/3 innings allowing four runs (two earned) on four hits, three walks and three hit batters while striking out three. Florida’s offense muscled an impressive 16 hits leading to its 14-run tally. However, the Gators’ defense was not quite as robust, committing two errors in the field.

Florida and South Carolina will face off again on Friday at 7 p.m. EDT and can be seen on SEC Network+.

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Florida baseball steamrolls over Missouri Tigers in series opener

If only that Gators looked this good against every SEC opponent.

Florida baseball kept the winning streak going on Friday night against the Missouri Tigers on the road with a 13-1 victory. [autotag]Brandon Sproat[/autotag] got the start for the Gators and looked great while the offense had a field day against the Tigers’ pitching.

However, Florida began with a futile first frame, while Mizzou got on the board bottom half on a solo home run to the second batter that Sproat saw. Besides that blemish, the sophomore sent the rest of the Tigers down for an otherwise clean inning.

The Gators had an immediate answer, scoring a pair in the top of the second on a two-run home run by [autotag]Colby Halter[/autotag] that scored T[autotag]y Evans[/autotag], who reached on a one-out double. Florida’s right-handed fireballer sent Missouri down in order in the bottom half with a foul out, strikeout and a popup.

The power surge continued in the third when [autotag]Josh Rivera[/autotag] cranked a two-run dinger that scored [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag], who reached on a single to lead things off. [autotag]Kendrick Calilao[/autotag] drew a two-out walk but the inning ended in a fizzle. Sproat retired the side in 1-2-3 fashion with a pair of Ks followed by an easy groundout to first.

[autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] led off the fourth inning hit parade with a line-drive single up middle, followed by a [autotag]Sterlin Thompson[/autotag] walk and a bunt base-hit by [autotag]Jud Fabian[/autotag] of all hitters. Riopelle plated a pair on an at-em ball right off the second baseman that ricocheted into the outfield for an error.

But the butterfingers did not stop there as Rivera drove in another Gator on a high bouncer that resulted in a throwing error by the third baseman playing shallow to prevent the run. Up by a 7-1 score, the Gators went down on a K and a groundout to end the rally.

Sproat retired the Tigers in order for the third-straight inning in the fourth, continuing his one-hit effort, while the Gators tacked on five more runs in the top of the fifth thanks in part to a two-run shot off the bat of [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] to make it a 12-1 game.

Florida’s starter continued to deal in the bottom of the frame, once again stymying Mizzou’s offense despite giving a leadoff walk, using a double play and a strikeout to emerge unscathed from the frame. [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] tacked another run on the board with a solo shot in the top of the sixth to keep the rout rolling, making it a 13-1 score.

Nothing really notable happened subsequently and the game ended with that final score. Sproat made it through 6 2/3 innings before giving way to Anthony Ursitti, who spun 2 1/3 innings of no-hit (one walk) ball to close things out.

The Gators seized their sixth-straight win and a crucial opening road game against an SEC opponent. They will return to the field Saturday at 3 p.m. EDT to face the Tigers in Game 2.

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Florida baseball shuts down Bethune-Cookman in mid-week contest

Florida baseball shut down the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats 7-0 on Tuesday at Condron Ballpark.

Florida baseball pitchers [autotag]Tyler Nesbitt[/autotag] and [autotag]Nick Ficarrotta[/autotag] combined for eight shutout innings in a 7-0 midweek victory over the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats at Condron Ballpark on Tuesday evening. Nesbitt only surrendered four hits and two walks and struck out four while Ficarrotta allowed only one base knock and no free passes while striking out six in four innings each.

Head coach [autotag]Kevin O’Sullivan[/autotag]’s lineup didn’t disappoint, either. The Gators jumped out in front early to a 3-0 lead after two innings.

Left fielder [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] walked to start the game and scored after the Wildcats committed a throwing error on a second baseman [autotag]Sterlin Thompson[/autotag] single. First baseman [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] singled home Thompson two batters later. In the second with the bases loaded, Thompson walked to send catcher [autotag]Mac Guscette[/autotag] home.

Florida’s bats then fell silent until the seventh inning when Langford homered to left field and then added three more runs in the next frame to win 7-0.

Langford finished the game one for one with his solo shot in the seventh but also earned three walks. Shortstop [autotag]Joshua Rivera[/autotag] went 2-for-4 with a triple and an RBI.

O’Sullivan’s team will try to keep the hot steak going when it travels to Columbia, Missouri, to face the Tigers for the Gators’ second to last regular-season weekend series. The action starts Friday at 7 p.m. EDT and can be seen on SEC Network+.

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Gators complete the sweep against Mississippi State

This one was for the moms. The Gators rallied in the ninth once again to finish off the sweep of Mississippi State on Mother’s Day.

Florida baseball completed its second sweep of the season on Sunday with a 6-1 win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

The last sweep came against Georgia State in the final days of February and it’s the first against a Southeastern Conference opponent since the Missouri series last April. The Gators now improve to 29-18 overall and 11-13 against the conference. Winning both upcoming series against the Mizzou and South Carolina would allow UF to finish the season even against SEC foes.

After putting up eight or more runs in each of the first two games this weekend, it seemed like Florida had settled down in game three of this series. The Gators found their groove in the ninth inning once again (UF scored six in the ninth on Saturday) and put things out of reach.

The first run came during the top of the second courtesy of a [autotag]Josh Rivera[/autotag] groundout that brought in [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag]. Then, the game stayed tied 1-1 until [autotag]Sterlin Thompson[/autotag] launched a dinger to right field in the eighth to take the late lead.

Once again, the floodgates opened up. [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] added two more insurance runs in the ninth with a double and [autotag]Sterlin Thompson[/autotag] brought in another pair with a single through the right side.

The final score makes it seem like the Gators had this one in the bag, but this was a very competitive game for eight innings. For once, it was Florida’s pitching that kept them in a Sunday game.[autotag] Nick Pogue[/autotag] made his sixth start of the year and lasted five innings, his longest outing of the season. He tied a season-high with four strikeouts and gave up just one run on five hits and a walk. [autotag]Fisher Jameson[/autotag] made his third appearance of the month in relief and threw four innings of one-run ball to close it out.

That one run came in the ninth on a homer with one out, and there was a little more drama in the last frame with an error that allowed another baserunner. Jameson got the third out on a pop fly to right, though, and the Gators left town with the brooms out.

UF is back at it on Tuesday with a home game against Bethune-Cookman before heading to Columbia, Missouri. The Wildcats hung around for a 3-2 loss last time they were in Gainesville, so the Gators can’t afford to take them too lightly.

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6-run ninth inning secures series win for Florida over Mississippi State

Florida avoided extra innings on Saturday with a six-run ninth against Mississippi State to claim the series.

Florida baseball broke a close game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs wide open in the ninth inning on Saturday with a six-run barrage to win a 9-3 ballgame.

After driving in six runs in the series opener on Friday, catcher [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] got things going early once again for the Gators with a sacrifice fly to left field in the first inning. The Bulldogs responded almost immediately with an RBI single in the bottom half of the frame and then things fell quiet until the fourth. MSU took a one-run lead in the fourth but lost it in the top of the fifth to a [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] double that split the gap in left-center. [autotag]Sterlin Thompson[/autotag] and Wyatt Langford came around giving the Gators a 3-2 lead.

On the mound, each club had decent nights from their starter that ended earlier than they would have liked. [autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag] lasted just four innings for Florida after working his pitch count into the upper-80s with seven strikeouts and four walks. Preston Johnson went five innings for Miss. State and also struck out seven while walking five. Florida struggled to get the Bulldogs’ bullpen until the ninth inning.

KC Hunt came in for his second inning of work and ran into trouble quickly. Thompson reached on an infield single to third base to start the inning off. The umpire gifted two strike calls to Hunt and punched out [autotag]Jud Fabian[/autotag] before Riopelle drew a walk. Caglianone doubled again to left scoring Thompson and giving the Gators the lead. The ball should’ve been playable, but the left fielder took a horrible route and broke inward on a ball that was clearly going over his head.

That’s when the floodgates opened up.

[autotag]Kendrick Calilao[/autotag] somehow kept a double down the right-field line fair and drove in two more. 6-3, Gators. The Bulldogs got finally got the first out of the inning at home plate on a fielder’s choice from [autotag]Colby Halte[/autotag]r. It didn’t matter much, though, as right fielder Ty Evans homered and made it 9-3.

The bottom half of the frame was a formality for [autotag]Ryan Slater[/autotag] who entered as the third UF reliever of the game in the seventh and closed it out. [autotag]Phillip Abner[/autotag] was the first pitcher out of the bullpen for [autotag]Kevin O’Sullivan[/autotag] and [autotag]Fisher Jameson[/autotag] followed in his third appearance of the year.

Sully opted to give Evans a rare start in this one. Thompson moved into the infield at second base shifting Halter over to third and pushing [autotag]Deric Fabian[/autotag] out of the lineup. We suggested in a midseason review of the team that removing him temporarily could be a way to shake up the lineup, but it seems this is only a night off for the younger Fabian, according to On3’s Nick de la Torre.

The Gators will go for the sweep on Sunday against projected starter Cade Smith. After a solid freshman year out of the bullpen, Smith has stepped into a starting role and served as the third-man nicely. Florida’s starter is unknown at this point. First pitch is at 2 p.m. EDT.

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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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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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