Florida freshman pitcher Pierce Coppola dealt in his first start, striking out seven only allowing five hits and two earned runs in 4 1/3 innings. But the Gators bullpen overshadowed his debut. They coughed up three runs in relief, leading to a stunning opening-series loss as No. 9 Florida lost 5-3 on Sunday in Gainesville.
Coppola’s nerves were evident as he allowed two singles to ignite the game. But he kept any Flames from tagging home plate. He cruised through the next few until the fifth inning when coach Kevin O’Sullivan pulled him after he gave up a Liberty two-run home run.
Freshman Phillip Abner replaced Coppola giving up one run in the fifth and another in the sixth, lasting only 2/3 of an inning. Then graduate Garrett Milchin took the rubber in the seventh and surrendered a solo shot and two other hits during his only inning.
The Gators’ bats heated up in the fourth inning after only one hit through the first three. Shortstop Josh Rivera knocked in Wyatt Langford who reached via a hit by pitch. Then catcher BT Riopelle blasted a two-run shot to right field to grab the lead 3-0.
However, Liberty quickly answered with a two-run shot and an RBI double. The Flames grabbed the lead and piled on an insurance run in the following innings leaving Florida just nine outs to even the score.
The Gators’ best chance arrived when they were down to their final out. Third baseman Deric Fabian earned the full-count walk to bring the tying run to the plate, but second baseman Colby Halter struck out to end the game, giving Liberty the 5-3 victory in the rubber match to take the season-opening series.
It’s the second straight season Florida dropped the first series of the season. Miami took two out of three games in 2021 at Florida Ballpark. Before that, the Gators secured every season-opening series dating back to 2007 when they fell against Virginia Military Institute.
[listicle id=77891]
Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.