Tag: Nick Ficarrotta

Gators take down FSU, Caglianone ties school home run record

Jac Caglianone tied the program single-season home run record, Blake Purnell had a career outing in relief and Florida swept the season series against FSU with a 7-5 win Tuesday night.

Gainesville has never seen a power hitter like [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag], and the Florida first baseman etched his name into the program record books with his 26th home run of the season during a 7-5 win over Florida State on Tuesday night.

Caglianone’s line drive home run might have only traveled some 325 feet, but it counts the same as his 480-foot tank against Missouri over the weekend. He ties the school record held by Matt LaPorta and teammate [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag]. Caglianone should set the new mark over the weekend against Texas A&M and could pass the 30-homer threshold by the season’s end if he keeps on his current pace of one every eight plate appearances.

The Gators have three series left for Caglianone to do some damage in the regular season, and he’ll likely add to his home run total throughout the SEC and NCAA tournaments.

Caglianone’s home run was a part of back-to-back jacks to lead off the top of the fifth inning and put the Gators out in front, 7-5. [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] hit the first homer of the inning, and that score held for the rest of the night.

Most of the scoring came in the first inning of the game. Florida State once again threw Ben Barrett, and Florida went with [autotag]Clete Hartzog[/autotag], who has worked exclusively out of the bullpen this season. Neither made it out of the first, giving up at least four runs each, with Hartzog failing to record an out.

[autotag]Nick Ficarrotta[/autotag] took over and pitched three scoreless innings in relief of Hartzog, and [autotag]Blake Purnell[/autotag] took over in the fourth. Purnell has struggled this season. He fell out of the weekend bullpen rotation after leading the team in appearances a year ago, but Tuesday was a career night for the St. Thomas Aquinas alumnus.

Purnell struck out eight over five innings, setting new career highs in both categories. If the Gators can get Purnell back for an inning or two every weekend, a ton of pressure will be taken off some other arms in the ‘pen and the starters.

An extra bullpen arm or two can make the difference deep in a tournament, so it’s very encouraging to see Purnell return to form. [autotag]Phillip Abner[/autotag] closed out the game for save No. 2 on the year as [autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag] rested up for the upcoming series against Texas A&M.

Florida is at College Station for a three-game series starting on Friday.

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Florida comes alive late against UNF in tight midweek contest

Yoel Tejeda Jr. put together his best start of the season for Florida en route to a 6-2 win over the North Florida Ospreys. BT Riopelle and Luke Heyman each had two runs batted in.

The Florida Gators got back to their winning ways Tuesday night, 6-2, but the offense didn’t explode as many expected them to.

[autotag]Yoel Tejada Jr[/autotag]. delivered his best start of the season, allowing zero runs across four innings of work. He ran into trouble a few times but got timely strikeouts and ground balls to get out of whatever jam he found himself in.

Tejeda could have easily set a new career-high in innings pitched or strikeouts had he come out in the fifth, but Kevin O’Sullivan isn’t in the business of overusing arms.

Unfortunately, [autotag]Nick Ficarrotta[/autotag] struggled in the fifth and gave up a pair of runs. That’s all North Florida would get to him for, but it’s a blemish an otherwise decent outing.

Ficarrotta sat the Ospreys down in order in the sixth, but he was removed after surrendering a leadoff walk in the seventh. Left-hander [autotag]Phillp Abner[/autotag] took over and got out of the inning without any trouble, but he struggled in the eighth giving up back-to-back singles.

[autotag]Ryan Slater [/autotag]saved Abner with a strikeout and a lazy fly out into shallow left field.

Florida’s bullpen was overall shaky Tuesday night, but the same can’t be said about North Florida’s relievers. Tony Roca entered the game with an earned run average above 9.20, but he kept the Gators hitless for three-straight innings.

UF finally got to him in the eighth. [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] produced a leadoff single, and Josh Rivera walked before [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] came up with a much-needed RBI single. Riopelle has been in a slump and striking out a ton, so it’s good to see him get one after a really tough series against South Carolina.

Riopelle’s RBI single was technically an insurance run since Florida had been leading all game, but it had been half a ball game since the Gators last scored and felt a whole lot bigger. Rivera singled, [autotag]Luke Heyman[/autotag] homered (8) and Riopelle got a lucky sacrifice fly RBI on a foul out in the third to give Florida the three early runs.

Heyman came through in the eighth after Riopelle for an RBI single of his own, so it was a big day for the catchers altogether. [autotag]Colby Halter[/autotag] added another to the lead with a sacrifice fly, but that was all UF could muster up.

Slater finished off the ninth, stranding a man a third base on a game-ending fly out to the warning track.

Florida hosts Missouri over the weekend starting on Friday at 7 p.m. EDT.

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Despite ump show, Florida takes down Georgia to claim series

Despite the antics of home plate umpire Brian deBrauwere, the Florida Gators prevailed over the Georgia Bulldogs, 11-6, Sunday afternoon behind an all-around performance from Jac Caglianone.

Florida defeated Georgia, 11-6, on Sunday, but it was the poor officiating that took center stage just before the Gators put together a five-run eighth to seal the deal.

[autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag] entered the game in the top of the eighth with two outs and the bases loaded. Ryan Slater had just walked in a run to cut Florida’s lead down to two, and the Gators needed their best bullpen arm to come through.

The SEC saves leader needed just five pitches to strike out Parks Harber, but he was quickly tossed by the home plate umpire, Brian deBrauwere, after celebrating the punchout. All Neely did was pump his fist as he walked toward his dugout and glanced at Georgia while shouting, “Come on!”

If that’s not allowed, then what is? Is the rule a declaration of no fun in baseball? The umpires have been atrocious all year in the SEC, particularly this weekend, but this was another level.

The fans let deBrauwere hear it, but the offense couldn’t let things slide either. [autotag]Cade Kurland[/autotag] singled, [autotag]Tyler Shelnut[/autotag] walked and [autotag]Michael Robertson[/autotag] singled to drive in a run. [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] took a pitch on the elbow and [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] delivered his second home run of the day (and 21st of the season), a grand slam to left field that put Florida up 11-4.

At that point, losing Neely wasn’t a problem. [autotag]Chris Arroyo[/autotag] walked a lefty to lead things off, and Sully quickly brought out [autotag]Nick Ficarrotta[/autotag]. He got the first two outs of the inning without any issues, but gave up a homer to cut the lead to five. An error extended things, but Ficarrotta got a fly ball to end the inning and claim Florida’s fifth-straight series win against SEC clubs.

The big question coming into the day was whether Caglianone could rebound from a string of bad starts or not. The left-handed sophomore answered with five innings of two-run ball and struck out four. Caglianone featured his best fastball control in over a month and fooled some of Georgia’s hitters with his slider, too. At the plate, he went 2 for 3 with seven RBIs and a walk.

Kevin O’Sullivan turned to the bullpen for the final four frames of the afternoon, but he had everyone on a short leash after Friday’s disastrous finish. [autotag]Tyler Nesbitt[/autotag] started the sixth, but he was pulled in favor of [autotag]Cade Fisher[/autotag] after allowing a pair of baserunners on a hit and a walk.

Fisher got three groundouts to finish the sixth, but Georgia’s best hitter, Charlie Condon, got to him for a run in the seventh. [autotag]Phillip Abner[/autotag] got the final out of the inning and started the eighth, but it took two more arms to get out of the frame with just a two-run lead.

[autotag]Ryan Slater[/autotag] loaded up the bases for Connor Tate — the same Bulldog that hit a ninth-inning, game-tying grand slam on Friday — and got him to pop out into shallow center. Although the run was briefly prevented, Slater lost Condon on a full count in the next at-bat, walking in a run.

That’s when all of the Neely drama happened.

Lost in all the late-inning commotion was a strong performance from Florida’s offense against Georgia’s best arm, Liam Sullivan. [autotag]Josh Rivera[/autotag] got to him early for a two-run homer and finished a triple shy of the cycle. Rivera is having an all-time season for the program and has played himself into a first or second-round draft pick.

Robertson drove in another run in the second and Caglianone’s first home run came in the second as well.

Florida is now 30-7 overall and 11-4 against the conference. Up next is a midweek game at home against Florida A&M, and then the Gators have a major road series against South Carolina on the road, starting Thursday.

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Florida baseball bounces back, beats Auburn on Saturday

Here’s a quick summary of how Florida’s Saturday night win went down.

Florida baseball earned a bounce-back win over the visiting Auburn Tigers on Saturday night at Condron Family Ballpark in Gainesville, Florida, holding off their Southeastern Conference foes for a 12-5 win to even up the three-game weekend series.

The Gators came out flat again on the mound for the second-straight game, but this time, after coughing up an early run in the top of the first they answered with two to take the first lead of the series. [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] his Division 1-leading 18th home run of the season with [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] at first after reaching on a single, and the Gators did not look back.

Both teams added to their totals in the third inning but Florida’s five-spot in contrast with Auburn’s two-run effort gave the home team a four-run cushion, to which the Orange and Blue added another in the bottom of the sixth to give them a five-run advantage.

The Tigers, however, proved they would not be easily tamed, answering back with a two-run effort in the top of the seventh in what could have been far more disastrous. Starter [autotag]Hurston Waldrep[/autotag] was replaced between frames after hitting the 100-pitch mark en route to a 10-strikeout evening while allowing three earned runs on four hits and six walks. He gave way to [autotag]Nick Ficarrotta[/autotag], who loaded the bases but ultimately escaped the jam after surrendering that pair of runs.

Florida answered again in the bottom half with three more runs, but the rally was cut short by a pitch violation strikeout on [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] to end the inning. Still, Auburn simply could not keep up with the Gators’ bats as [autotag]Kevin O’Sullivan[/autotag]’s team continued to respond to their opponents’ efforts with even more runs of their own.

The Gators added one more to the tally in the bottom of the eighth, and in the process, put up their season-best 19 hits. The Tigers threatened in the final frame of the game, but reliever [autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag] closed the curtains with a two-plus-inning effort that saw two hits, one walk and three strikeouts to seal the deal and earn the save.

The two tangle for a third time in the rubber match on Sunday at 1 p.m. EDT at Condron Family Ballpark, with the game slated for broadcast on the SEC Network and can be heard on ESPN 98.1FM/850AM WRUF.

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Florida baseball completes comeback against FSU

The Florida Gators slowly chipped away at Florida State’s lead all night until they finally came up big with a five-run eighth inning that decided the game.

The Florida Gators dug themselves into an early hole Tuesday night against Florida State, but a five-run eighth inning secured a 9-5 win for UF against its bitter rival.

Florida’s pitching staff was well-rested, but a midweek game between SEC series isn’t the time to use up the top arms on the club. The Gators threw right-hander [autotag]Tyler Nesbitt[/autotag], who made it through 3 and 2/3 innings before getting the hook from Kevin O’Sullivan.

Nesbitt wasn’t great, but some of the runs on his record came after he was out fo the game. He left a pair of runners on in the fourth that [autotag]Cade Fisher[/autotag] couldn’t stop from scoring, which led to a four-run (three earned) day for Nesbitt. It’s the second time in as many games that Fisher has struggled to work his left-lefty matchup, and he allowed all three batters he faced on Tuesday to reach base.

[autotag]Nick Ficarrotta[/autotag] finally got Florida out of the fourth inning and struck out two in the fifth, but he allowed two base runners to get on. Left-hander [autotag]Phillip Abner[/autotag] came in and got the ground out the team needed, and that’s when the Gators’ pitching staff settled in.

Abner struck out the side in the sixth and seventh while the team slowly chipped away at the deficit. He’d end up earning the win after Florida came through big in the eighth.

[autotag]Matt Prevesk[/autotag] had the biggest at-bat of the night, coming up to pinch hit with the bases loaded and only 10 plate appearances on the year. He came through and delivered the tying run through the left side. It was one of six singles in the inning, four of which scored runs.

[autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] was in the mix during that rally with his fourth hit and second and third RBIs of the night. Josh Rivera was the only other Gator with multiple hits and runs batted in, finishing the night with two of each.

[autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag] closed things out but didn’t earn a save because Florida was up by four and he came in with no runners on.

Abner, Ficarrotta and Neely look really good and might be the backbone of the bullpen moving forward. If [autotag]Blake Purnell[/autotag] and Cade Fisher can rejoin that group, Florida will remain a legitimate threat to beat any team this season.

[autotag]Dale Thomas[/autotag] started in left field for [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag], but it looks like he’s nearing a return after minor surgery. Kevin O’Sullivan is going to take his time bringing back his top bat, and Florida doing alright without him so far.

Florida improves to 19-4 on the season and is at Ole Miss this weekend from Friday to Sunday for the team’s first series on the road. It’s a big test for the third-ranked club in the nation.

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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 baseball survives surprising test from Siena

Florida’s first game in a series against the Siena Saints didn’t go as expected, but the Gators still came out on top on Friday night.

Very few expected No. 6 Florida and Siena to be tied heading into the sixth inning on Friday, but that’s exactly where the two teams found themselves after a 90-minute rain delay prevented the game from starting on time.

The Saints entered the game with an overall record of 2-10 and just one player hitting .300 or better, but right-hander Arlo Marynczak held the Gators to just two runs across five innings of work.

Florida hit Marynczak fine. He ended the night giving with seven hits allowed and two walks, but the Gators just couldn’t score against him after plating a run in each of the first two innings.

The second inning could have been much bigger for Florida as [autotag]Wyatt Langford [/autotag]came up with the bases loaded and one out, but Marynczak got him to foul out and then induced a pop-up from [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag].

Florida’s top two hitters are supposed to come through in a situation like that, especially against a team such as Siena, and it’s the first time fans have seen them fail in 2023.

The Gators had another bases-loaded opportunity in the bottom of the seventh but again failed to come through.[autotag]Tyler Shelnut[/autotag] struck out and [autotag]Matt Prevesk[/autotag], who entered the game for [autotag]Luke Heyman[/autotag] after a presumed injury to his hamstring, flew out to strand three baserunners.

[autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] also left the game in the sixth inning; a foul ball hit off him earlier in the game, but there was no official word on why he left.

Shelnut did contribute earlier in the game, though, hitting a go-ahead home run in the sixth inning off of left-handed reliever Billy Rozakis. Noah Rodriguez came in next and was the one to get out of the second bases-loaded jam of the night.

Fortunately, Florida’s bullpen didn’t implode and held on to a one-run lead after [autotag]Brandon Sproat[/autotag] finished off four scoreless innings.

It wasn’t Sproat’s best day. He couldn’t locate his fastball, and his slider was off too. He gave up three hits and three walks while striking out seven and hitting two batters.

[autotag]Cade Fisher[/autotag] was first out of the bullpen for Florida. He struck out five through two innings but also gave up a pair of runs, only one of which was earned. The Gators committed two errors on Friday night, which is unusually sloppy for this team.

[autotag]Nick Ficarrotta[/autotag] was next out of the bullpen. He allowed just two hits through two scoreless innings while striking out a pair, and then [autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag] came in to shut the door.

Neely struck out each of the first two batters he faced but gave up a single to Matt Livingston before getting out No. 3 to end the inning.

The silver lining here is that Florida’s bullpen shined for perhaps the first time this season, but the lack of offense was unexpected, to say the least.

If Florida struggles to put runs on the board again on Saturday, it might be something to get worried about. Conference play starts in less than a week, and Florida needs to be at its best.

The Gators and Saints go again on Saturday at 4 p.m. EST.

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Major takeaways from No. 6 Florida’s midweek wins over FAU

The Gators finally took both games of a midweek series and will head into the weekend with a chance to put together the first five-game win streak of the season.

The No. 6 Florida Gators finally won both of their midweek games this week with victories over the Florida Atlantic Owls.

On Tuesday, UF outscored FAU, 18-11, in a game that was extended by a 41-minute rain delay. [autotag]Josh Rivera[/autotag] lead the night with three hits, including two home runs and nine RBIs, and [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] also had a three-hit night. [autotag]Ty Evans[/autotag] and [autotag]Tyler Shelnut[/autotag] both hit home runs as well.

Although it wasn’t a great outing for freshman [autotag]Yoel Tejeda Jr[/autotag]., Florida scored more than enough runs to take the game in convincing fashion. [autotag]Ryan Slater[/autotag], [autotag]Nick Ficarrotta[/autotag], [autotag]Phillip Abner[/autotag] and [autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag] all got work in relief.

The pitching staff was much sharper on Wednesday. Starter [autotag]Tyler Nesbitt[/autotag] and left-hander [autotag]Phillip Abner[/autotag] combined for an eight-inning, two-hit shutout. [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] was the star on offense, collecting four hits on the day, including a walk-off grand slam that put the 10-run rule into effect.

Wednesday was the dominant win Florida has been looking for all year and finally leaves the team heading into the weekend on the right foot.

Siena might be Florida’s most favorable series of the season, and the Gatrors look like they are finally firing on all cylinders.

Florida bullpen implodes against Miami, wastes Waldrep’s 14 Ks

Miami shelled the Florida bullpen Saturday night and tied the series heading into Sunday. Gators starter Hurston Waldrep had a career-high 14 strikeouts.

The Florida Gators wasted a dominant performance from Southern Miss transfer [autotag]Hurston Waldrep[/autotag] Saturday night in a 14-6 loss to the Miami Hurricanes.

Waldrep continued a masterful start to his Gators career, setting a new personal high of 14 strikeouts through six-plus innings, but he didn’t earn a decision because of another bad outing from Florida’s bullpen.

The Southern Miss transfer cruised through the first two innings of the game and struck out five of the first seven batters he faced. He gave up his first home run of the season in the third and then worked his way out of jams in each of the next two innings. Waldrep gave up another big fly in the sixth to freshman Blake Cyr, but the Gators still had the lead heading into the final third of the game up 6-3.

Unfortunately, the seventh was a bit of a disaster for Florida. Waldrep hit the leadoff man and gave up a single before exiting the game, and both of the runs ended up scoring as the Gators worked their way through three relief pitchers, [autotag]Nick Ficarrotta[/autotag], [autotag]Ryan Slater[/autotag] and [autotag]Fisher Jamerson[/autotag], to get out of the inning with a 6-6 tie.

Florida had a chance to bounce back immediately after loading the bases with no outs in the bottom of the seventh for [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag], who already had two home runs on the night, but Miami freshman Chris Scinta got out of the inning without giving the lead back to UF.

The Hurricanes wouldn’t be denied in the eighth either. Jameson gave up a leadoff home run and loaded the bases before handing the ball over to [autotag]Clete Hartzog[/autotag], who gave up three runs on a walk and a double while striking out the side.

The bullpen implosion led to [autotag]Carsten Finnvold[/autotag] getting a chance to pitch, which is a move likely designed to preserve arms for Sunday. The plan worked, but it cost the soft-throwing lefty some dignity. Finnvold loaded the bases without recording an out and gave up another run on a sacrifice fly.

Cyr hit his second home run of the night, a three-run shot, to put the Hurricanes up 14-6, and it’s hard to believe that this is the same game Waldrep started with 14 strikeouts through six innings. Finnvold finally got out of the top of the ninth, and Florida went down without a fight, tying up the series.

Waldrep deserved the spotlight in this one, but the bullpen stole it from him with an awful performance.

Florida and Miami will face off in a rubber match Sunday at noon.

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Florida baseball claims series against Cincinnati with third mercy-rule win of 2023

Florida’s Hurston Waldrep struck out a baker’s dozen on Saturday while the offense clobbered Cincinnati’s staff and invoked the mercy rule.

The Florida Gators claimed its second series win of the year on Saturday with a walk-off 13-3 victory over the Cincinnati Bearcats.

As the score might indicate, this was no typical walk-off win. Both teams agreed to play with a 10-run mercy rule before the series began, and [autotag]Ty Evans[/autotag] put the Gators up by the magic number with a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth.

Cincinnati didn’t stand much of a chance with [autotag]Hurston Waldrep[/autotag] on the mound for Florida. The Southern Miss transfer was masterful through six innings, striking out 13 while allowing just two runs on three hits and three walks.

Everything was working for him in this one. His fastball came in strong around 95-96 mph and topped out at 98 mph. His curveball and splitter were also effective. If this is what Waldrep looks like while he’s heating up, the rest of the SEC should be fearful of him catching on fire before the start of conference play.

Cincinnati’s starter, left-handed freshman Chase Horst, was not nearly as effective. He lasted just one inning and was pulled after loading the bases for the second time in as many innings. [autotag]Josh Rivera[/autotag] had already punished him with a grand slam in the first, and UC head coach Scott Googins wasn’t going to risk a second salami.

Dylan Brosky took over and got out of the second inning allowing just one of those three baserunners to score. He ended up lasting 4 1/3 innings for the Bearcats and should get major props from his coach for preserving the bullpen for the final game of the series. Brosky allowed four runs to score over the afternoon, but things could have been a lot worse with Horst in.

[autotag]Cade Kurland[/autotag] and [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] each had two hits and two RBIs. Langford’s came on a homer in the fourth inning that scored both men, and Kurland’s provided the eighth and ninth runs of the night for Florida in the sixth. Richie Schiekofer also drove in a run in the seventh.

[autotag]Nick Ficarrotta[/autotag] pitched the seventh and eighth for Florida. He cruised through the seventh and sat the Bearcats down in order, but the eighth gave him problems. After getting the first two out of the inning quickly, Ficarrotta gave up a pair of singles and hit a batter to give up one run.

Evans came up big in the bottom of the inning to deliver the final blow, but this was an all-around strong victory for Florida. Waldrep and Ficarrotta gave the rest of the pitching staff an extra day of rest, but [autotag]Jac Caglinanone[/autotag] might not need to much help from the bullpen on Sunday if he’s anywhere near as good as he was last week.

Florida goes for the sweep against Cincinnati on Sunday at 1 p.m. EST. SEC Network+ subscribers can watch the game on ESPN+, and WRUF is broadcasting the game on the radio for free as always.

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