The Gators had an answer for almost everything Alabama threw at them this weekend, but the Crimson Tide prevented the sweep with a walk-off win on Sunday.
Florida appeared to be in the driver’s seat after a three-run eighth made the score 7-5 in favor of the Gators. Alabama closed the gap to just one run in the bottom of the inning, so Kevin O’Sullivan turned to Blake Purnell for the third-straight day to close things out. After earning the save on Friday, Purnell was unable to repeat and gave up the four-straight singles to close out the game.
Third baseman Zane Denton delivered the final blow on a single that found its way through the right side of a five-man infield after Sully called in right fielder Sterlin Thompson for the shift. The two runs that crossed in the ninth are the first allowed by Purnell, who came into this game with a perfect ERA through 19 1/3 innings.
Timmy Manning got the start for Florida. He got out of the first with just five pitches, but Kevin O’Sullivan pulled him in the next inning after loading the bases on three-straight walks. Freshman Brandon Neely couldn’t stop two of those runs from scoring and being charged to Manning, and he’d give up three of his own in 3 1/3 innings of work. Garrett Milchin and Nick Ficarrotta were solid in the sixth, seventh and eight innings.
UF added three more home runs to its season total, including another from left fielder Wyatt Langford. He’s now hitting .400 on the season and has eight dingers under his belt.
The loss isn’t too concerning considering the way Florida beat up Alabama for 26 of the 27 innings played over the weekend, but the consistent drama that the Gators find themselves in late in games isn’t a fluke either. There’s a lot to fix with this young pitching staff, but the offense and defense seem to be strong enough to carry the team on most days that Hunter Barco isn’t pitching.
It’s a long bus ride back to Gainesville, and losing on a walk-off doesn’t feel great even if they did take the series. Remembering this feeling could come in handy once LSU makes its way to town next weekend.
[mm-video type=video id=01fyhy4tcn0dszkvdfqr playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fyhy4tcn0dszkvdfqr/01fyhy4tcn0dszkvdfqr-f73adf6607a8e3601f3d734eb75c3a3f.jpg]
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.