Tag: Phillp Abner

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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Questionable ejection could leave Florida without closer

The NCAA rulebook says that pitchers are suspended for four games after an ejection for unsportsmanlike conduct, which means Florida will be without closer Brandon Neely next weekend.

Florida’s series-clinching win over Georgia on Sunday was marred by the events that transpired after the final out of the eighth inning.

Closer [autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag] had come in with the bases loaded to get the Gators out of the jam and into the final frame. He struck out Payton Harber and celebrated by pumping his fist and shouting while looking toward the Georgia dugout.

Neely said something encouraging to himself and his team — I’m no lip reading expert but it’s fairly clear he said “come on” as the adrenaline surged — and home plate umpire Brian deBrauwere ejected him for what could only have been unsportsmanlike conduct directed at another team.

The biggest problem with this questionable ejection isn’t that it was unjustified, though. Neely is going to miss Florida’s upcoming weekend series against No. 6 South Carolina, according to the NCAA 2023 and 2024 Rulebook Section 27-E.

“Whenever a pitcher is ejected for disputing an umpire’s decision or for
unsportsmanlike conduct or language directed at an opponent or umpire
(including a post-participation ejection), the suspension will be for a total of four (4) games,” reads the rulebook.

Florida’s options behind Neely aren’t bad, but he’s their best bullpen arm and the SEC leader in saves. Not having him during a series against a top-10 club is like starting a chess game without a knight or bishop. It’s one more arm that Kevin O’Sullivan will have to dig into the bullpen for at some point over the weekend and makes the end of close games far more uncertain than usual.

DeBrauwere’s decision has the potential to lead to Florida’s first series loss of the season and isn’t something the fanbase is likely to forget any time soon. An appeal could delay the suspension, but the likelihood of it getting overturned is slim based on similar situations from the past.

There’s been no official word on Neely’s suspension, but the assumption here is that the NCAA is going to enforce its own policy.

The likely options to replace Neely are [autotag]Phillp Abner[/autotag] and/or [autotag]Ryan Slater[/autotag]. They have been the most consistent arms out of the bullpen this season and offer Sully a lefty and righty option. Platooning them over the weekend seems realistic knowing that Neely will return after the week.

It’s an unfortunate hurdle Florida has to jump, but the Gators are good enough to overcome it and clearly took exception to the ejection. If UF can provide the kind of offense it did immediately after the incident took place, it won’t matter who O’Sullivan throws.

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