Tag: Michael Robertson

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.

Florida falls after taking first two games of SEC series against Alabama

Florida couldn’t finish off the sweep of Alabama in the second half of a doubleheader on Friday, but the Gators are still 2-1 to start SEC play.

Florida couldn’t make magic happen twice in one day and fell to the Alabama Crimson Tide, 6-3, in the second game of a doubleheader to close out the first SEC series of the year.

The good news is the Gators secured a series victory earlier in the day, but this would have been a 10th-straight victory for the club. The trio of Grayson Hitt, Zane Probst and Kade Woods kept Florida relatively quiet, and the Tide played with a lead for the entire night.

Hitt outdueled Florida starter [autotag]Hurston Waldrep[/autotag], who lasted six innings and gave up four runs in total (three earned). Waldrep’s command wasn’t great. He walked four and threw a wild pitch with a man on third that somehow went unpunished. He only struck out seven this week, which is low by Wadrep’s standards.

Florida had plenty of chances to score. The Gators had a baserunner in each of the first five innings and killed their own rally in the seventh with a bad baserunning blunder by [autotag]Michael Robertson[/autotag]. Three of UF’s seven hits on the night came during that inning, but only one run crossed the plate.

Probst wasn’t the best, but Woods was dominant against Florida in the last three innings. He struck out all seven batters he faced and left the fans at Condron Family Ballpark with a bitter taste in their mouths despite an overall successful weekend.

[autotag]Josh Rivera[/autotag] hit his 10th home run of the season in the loss, which is a career-high for him. He has the second-most homers of any Gator this season behind [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag], who went 0 for 11 this series.

[autotag]Luke Heyman[/autotag] got a bloop single when he pinch-hit for [autotag]Dale Thomas[/autotag], who started in left today for [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag]. It’s good to see Heyman back even if his hamstring is still sore, but Langford is the big missing piece right now in the lineup.

[autotag]Colby Halter[/autotag] had a two-hit day and is starting to see the ball much better after another 0-for-10 streak. Robertson is also hitting better despite his baserunning mishap.

[autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag] pitched the final three innings for Florida and gave up just two runs on a home run from Alabama’s Caden Rose. He finished the night with seven strikeouts.

It was a tough way to end what was a really good weekend for Florida on the diamond, and it’s hard not to wonder how the series would have been different without the weather forcing a doubleheader.

Still, the Gators are 18-4 overall and 2-1 in SEC play. They shouldn’t be moving down any rankings after a performance like this.

Top Performers

Rivera: 2-4, HR (10); 2 RBI

Robertson: 2-3, RBI, BB

Halter: 2-3

Waldrep: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 7 K

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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 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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Series Preview: Florida, Jacksonville square off in midweek home-and-home series

Florida baseball is taking on Jacksonville up next and the Dolphins have a former Gator in the heart of their lineup.

The Florida Gators have another home-and-home series this week, and this time its the Jacksonville University Dolphins that the Gators have to deal with.

Last week, Florida split a home-and-home series with USF after an epic ninth-inning collapse led to the Gators’ first and only loss of the season so far. Jacksonville should be a significantly weaker opponent for Florida than USF or Cincinnati, though. The Dolphins aren’t picked to finish in the top half of the ASUN, and the Gators are marching their way to a top-five ranking.

The big question will be how Florida manages its pitching staff. Things fell apart last week when the bullpen was asked to work five innings each day, and Kevin O’Sullivan is already making changes to the pitching rotation to combat that problem. [autotag]Ryan Slater[/autotag] is set to get the midweek start for Florida, and the Wednesday arm is yet to be determined.

Florida will probably let some of its younger players get in the lineup too, which could cause the offense to slow down a bit from its 13 runs per game average over the weekend. Regardless, this should be another series where Florida is heavily favored and able to deliver on the expectations.

UF will be down center fielder [autotag]Michael Robertson[/autotag] for at least the first game of the series, though. He got shaken up after colliding with the wall over the weekend and hasn’t played since the first inning on Friday. Sully says the team won’t rush him back, so it’ll be [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] in center field and [autotag]Richie Schiekofer[/autotag] in left field for now. [autotag]Cade Kurland[/autotag] has already seamlessly stepped into the leadoff role in the lineup and has a firm hold on the starting second base spot.

Key takeaways from Florida’s series sweep of Cincinnati

Florida baseball is off to a hot start and is now 7-1 after a series sweep of Cincinnati. Here’s what we learned over the weekend:

Florida swept the Cincinnati Bearcats over the weekend to bring the Gators to a 7-1 record to start the season.

After splitting a home-and-home series with the USF bulls over the week, Florida needed to bounce back in a big way. It did so to the tune of 13 runs on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, while allowing Cincinnati to put up a combined 16 runs. It’s the second-straight weekend in a row that Florida has doubled its opponents, and the team looks pretty unstoppable out of the gate.

The weekend rotation is elite and needs significantly less help from the bullpen than the midweek starters. At the plate, everyone is hitting, and a new school record for home runs in a game being set on Sunday proves that this team has legitimate power.

It’s hard to find something wrong with this Gators team right now. The club will eventually face some true adversity, but this is a group that’s firing on all cylinders.

Ninth-inning collapse leads to Florida’s first loss of season

An epic ninth-inning collapse led to Florida’s first loss of the season Wednesday night. USF splits the season series with a 10-9 win.

Florida (4-1) led for most of the game against USF Wednesday night, but a ninth-inning meltdown led to the Gators blowing a five-run lead and taking the loss, 10-9.

There was plenty to like from UF, including a decent outing from freshman right-hander [autotag]Yoel Tejeda Jr[/autotag]. in his first-career start, but the late collapse is going to overshadow any positives from the evening. For what it’s worth, every Florida starter got a base hit, and [autotag]Nick Ficarrotta[/autotag] was stellar out of the bullpen.

Game Recap

Tejeda got the start for Florida and lasted three innings. He had a clean first inning despite walking Bobby Boser on four pitches, but the second and third were tough for Tejeda. He got out of a jam in the second, stranding a pair of Bulls in scoring position, but wasn’t as lucky in the third.

Tejeda started what should have been a 1-6-3 double play, but shortstop [autotag]Josh Rivera[/autotag] made an errant throw to first and allowed a run to score. The 6-foot-8-inch freshman should have been out of the inning, but he surrendered another run after giving up a walk and a single instead.

At that point, Florida’s offense hadn’t gotten going yet and only managed to score a single run through the first two innings. [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] homered in the first, but it took until the second time through the lineup for Florida to add some more runs.

[autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] hit a long sac fly into foul territory to tie things up in the bottom of the third, and Rivera came through with a single to left-center that scored him and gave Florida the lead. Caglianone was intentionally walked in between the two at-bats.

Ficarrotta was strong in relief for the Gators. He lasted 3 2/3 innings, striking out seven without giving up a base on balls. Ficarrotta surrendered just one run on the evening and limited damage to get out of a fifth-inning jam that started with three-straight singles.

Florida also had a big fifth inning and scored three runs. [autotag]Dale Thomas[/autotag], who got his first start of the season at second base, started things off with a double, and [autotag]Michael Robertson[/autotag] moved him over to third on a bunt single.

Langford struck out looking at three pitches, but Caglianone drove in Thomas with a single to right field. Rivera followed that up with his second RBI single of the day, and [autotag]Ty Evans[/autotag] singled in a run as well. A double play from [autotag]Tyler Shlenut[/autotag] ended the run.

Left-handed freshman [autotag]Chris Arroyo[/autotag] got the final out of the seventh for Florida after Ficarrotta allowed a pair of baserunners. Arroyo returned for the top of the eighth but was immediately pulled after giving up a base hit to start the inning. Kevin O’Sullivan gave him a pat on the back after taking the ball from him, which probably means that he was pulled to fit the matchup against a pinch hitter rather than for poor performance.

[autotag]Blake Purnell[/autotag] was the third arm out of the bullpen for Florida and got out of the eighth without issue. He did walk USF’s No. 9 hitter with two out but nothing came of it.

[autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag] could have earned his second save of the season, but Florida added what it thought was a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth.

[autotag]Luke Heyman[/autotag] scored after doubling and getting knocked in by Thomas. Robertson extended the lead to five runs with an RBI single of his own, and Langford doubled on a checked swing to put men on the corners. Caglianone drew his second intentional walk of the night, but Rivera couldn’t come up big again despite entering the at-bat hitting .660 with runners in scoring position.

Purnell came back out to pitch the ninth but things went south pretty quickly. He gave up a leadoff home run to start the inning and never recorded an out after an error in right field and walking a batter. O’Sullivan turned to [autotag]Fisher Jameson[/autotag] next, which turned out to be a mistake.

Jameson struck out the Bull with the highest average on the team for out No. 1, but it was all downhill from there. USF catcher Nelson Rivera singled in a run to cut the lead to three, and then center fielder Jackson Mayo sent the ball out of the yard to tie things up.

Disaster.

[autotag]Anthony Ursitti[/autotag] replaced Jameson but gave up a two-out triple to blow the lead. To rub some salt in the wound, USF scored what wound up being the deciding run on a passed ball.

[autotag]Cade Kurland[/autotag] pinch hit for [autotag]Deric Fabian[/autotag], who entered as a defensive replacement at third base for Tyler Shelnut, and drew a one-out walk to start a ninth-inning rally. USF ignored him on the base paths, so he easily got to third while [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] pinch hit for Heyman.

Riopelle struck out, but [autotag]Matt Prevesk[/autotag] batted for Lastres and singled in Kurland to put the Gators within one of a tie game. Unfortunately, [autotag]Richie Schiekofer[/autotag] grounded into a fielder’s choice on the very first pitch he saw to end the game.

Key Takeaway

The bullpen completely melted down after Purnell struggled to start the ninth. Jameson and Ursitti can’t afford to pitch like that when Sully puts them in a tense spot, and he’s unlikely to forget what happened.

The question is whether O’Sullivan will adjust or not. There were several times throughout the 2022 season when Florida made the wrong call out of the bullpen, and there were shades of that tonight. To be delicate, the only way Florida’s bullpen is below average in 2023 is through mismanagement.

The undefeated season may no longer be feasible, but at least Florida has now faced some adversity and can prove itself over the weekend against Cincinnati.

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Florida baseball handles USF with 3-homer ninth

Florida has two talented Cades on the baseball team, and both of them shined in Tuesday’s road victory over the USF Bulls.

Florida took care of business on the road for the first time in 2023 as the Gators defeated the USF Bulls Tuesday night, 6-1.

[autotag]Cade Fisher[/autotag] made his first collegiate start and went four innings strong against USF. Fisher struck out the side in each of the first two innings of the night, bringing his season total to seven through five innings (12.6 K/9). He gave up four hits, one unearned run and threw 41 strikes out of 64 pitches overall. The only blemish of the night was a hit batter in the first inning.

It’s clear that Fisher is at the top of the list when it comes to freshmen pitchers on the team Kevin O’Sullivan is willing to let pitch. If he keeps pitching like this, he could find himself with a significant role on the staff after non-conference play ends.

While Fisher was good, the offense didn’t do enough early to give him a decision. [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag]’s solo home run came in the top of the fourth, but that only ensure that Fisher wouldn’t get the loss. Florida has a few chances to score in the first few innings of the game.

[autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] got caught trying to stretch a single into a double in the first, and Caglianone just missed a home run in the next at-bat. Caglianone’s double surely would have scored Langford had he not made the base-running gaffe. [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] struck out to end the inning with a runner in scoring position.

Bulls starter Jack Cebert shut Florida down in the second and third, retiring seven straight Gators in a row. Caglianone broke the shutout in the fourth, but [autotag]Colby Halter[/autotag] left the bases loaded to start his season off 0 for 10. The Bulls were forced to go to the bullpen though, which matched up with Fisher’s departure from the game.

Ryan Slater pitched the next three innings for the Gators and looked just as good as Fisher. He struck out four and allowed just one hit while holding the Bulls scoreless. He did it with incredible efficiency too, needing just 37 pitches to get through three frames.

Sophomore left-hander Ethan Brown was the first pitcher out of the bullpen for USF. He got through the fifth with little incident. Caglianone got hit No. 3 of the night to put him a triple away from the cycle, but he didn’t score. [autotag]Cade Kurland[/autotag] did get to him in the sixth for an RBI single to give Florida the lead, though. The freshman continues to make a strong argument for a daily spot in the lineup.

Speaking of freshman, [autotag]Luke Heyman[/autotag] pinch hit for Halter with a lefty on the mound, meaning the junior third baseman will have to wait another game to collect his first hit of the year. [autotag]Dale Thomas[/autotag] subbed in for him to play third base for the rest of the game.

Southern Florida turned to Riley Skeen in the eighth and ninth. Florida couldn’t get to him in the eighth, but Kurland and [autotag]Tyler Shelnut[/autotag] hit back-to-back home runs to kick off what ended up being a brutal ninth. That’s Shelnut’s second in a Gators uniform and the first of Kurland’s first-career big fly.

The Bulls turned to redshirt junior Tanner Mink after Skeen got Thomas to strike out. Mink had some trouble with his pick-off move and balked before throwing the ball into centerfield on the very next attempt. Florida’s fastest player, [autotag]Michael Robertson[/autotag], rounded the bases with ease and scored on the error.

Finally, Langford hit his first home run of the 2023 season and officially began the chase to 27. Florida began the ninth with just a one-run lead, but South Florida needed five to tie things up by the middle of the inning.

[autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag], who came in to pitch the eighth and struck out the side, returned for the ninth after a lengthy rest on the bench. He walked a Bull to start the final frame of the night, but Neely ended up cruising to the final out of the ball game. He’s supposed to be the team’s closer, but he didn’t really need to be the one to put the lid on this one after the big inning.

The score makes this win look better than it was, but at least the bats came alive at the end. Fisher didn’t get the win, but he looked good on the bump and it’s always good to have a promising, young freshman left-hander on the staff. Kurland was the offensive MVP of the night for driving in the go-ahead run in the sixth and adding an insurance run with a solo shot in the ninth.

Up next is a rematch with USF in Gainesville on Wednesday at 6 p.m. EST.

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