Skip to Content, Navigation, or Footer.
We inform. You decide.
Friday, March 29, 2024

Sophomore comes up with big hit as Florida wins series against the Georgia Bulldogs

<p>UF's Ryan Larson follows through on a swing during the Florida Gators' 7-4 win against the Alabama Crimson Tide on March 28, 2015, at McKethan Stadium in Gainesville, Florida.</p>

UF's Ryan Larson follows through on a swing during the Florida Gators' 7-4 win against the Alabama Crimson Tide on March 28, 2015, at McKethan Stadium in Gainesville, Florida.

With the series against Georgia on the line, Ryan Larson came in clutch on Sunday.

Heading into the sixth inning of the series finale, the sophomore had yet to record a hit, going 0-for-6 with a strikeout and a pair of walks.

But with the game tied at 4 and the bases loaded, Larson laced a pitch from UGA reliever Jared Walsh to left field for a three-run double to give No. 10 Florida the 7-4 victory.

The win gave the Gators (35-13, 15-9 Southeastern Conference) their fifth SEC series win of the season.

“After Friday night, to win the next two games it was a good weekend for us,” UF coach Kevin O’Sullivan said in a release. “We fought through a lot of adversity; we probably didn’t play our best baseball this weekend but we beat an SEC team on the road two out of three – I would take that every weekend.”

Sophomore Buddy Reed opened the scoring for the Gators on a two-out, two-RBI single in the first inning, scoring Dalton Guthrie and Peter Alonso. Florida scored two more runs in the top of the third on a passed ball and a Harrison Bader RBI groundout.

But Georgia (22-25, 7-16 SEC) was quick to strike back.

UF freshman Alex Faedo walked two batters before UGA’s Daniel Nichols ripped a ball over the right-field fence for a three-run homer and the early 3-2 lead.

“He makes one pitch there it’s probably a different outing for him,” O’Sullivan said of Faedo. “But, it’s a young mistake, he’ll learn from it and I have total confidence in him.

Faedo threw two more innings, giving up just one more hit — a solo home run to Georgia’s Stephen Wrenn — before O’Sullivan went to the bullpen.

Florida’s relievers responded by tossing six scoreless innings, surrendering just four hits over the final 18 outs.

Junior Taylor Lewis (2.2 IP, 2 H, 4 Ks) earned the win, while Danny Young (3 IP, 0 H, 1 K) earned his second save of the year.

Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox

UF returns to McKethan Stadium for a midweek game against USF before heading to Nashville, Tennessee, for a three-game series against No. 6 Vanderbilt.

The Commodores lead the SEC with a 17-7 conference record, while the Gators sit two games behind them — good for second place in the SEC East and fourth in the conference overall. LSU and Texas A&M in the SEC West both sit at 16-7 in the conference, a half-game out of first.

Follow Jordan McPherson on Twitter @J_McPherson1126

UF's Ryan Larson follows through on a swing during the Florida Gators' 7-4 win against the Alabama Crimson Tide on March 28, 2015, at McKethan Stadium in Gainesville, Florida.

Support your local paper
Donate Today
The Independent Florida Alligator has been independent of the university since 1971, your donation today could help #SaveStudentNewsrooms. Please consider giving today.

Powered by SNworks Solutions by The State News
All Content © 2024 The Independent Florida Alligator and Campus Communications, Inc.