In the span of 48 hours, the No. 6 Gators baseball team stomached rampant jubilation followed by muddled misery.
Jacksonville (33-18, 18-9 Atlantic Sun) smoked Florida (39-14, 20-7 Southeastern Conference) 11-2 on Tuesday night in a midweek contest at McKethan Stadium.
"You come back from an exciting Sunday and come out and seems like we're not focused," coach Kevin O'Sullivan said. "We told our guys that JU has a good club, and they can swing the bats."
Fresh off an exhilarating series victory over No. 7 Vanderbilt — where the Gators tied the Commodores for first place in the East — Florida laid an egg against a JU squad with a powerful lineup.
The Dolphins sport seven starters with averages over .320, and they knocked around Gators pitching all evening.
UF's Alex Panteliodis (4-2) made his eighth start of the year, and the left-hander surrendered three runs in the opening frame. He needed 31 pitches to escape the first after allowing two hits, a walk and a hit batsman.
The Gators responded in the bottom half of the inning when SEC Player of the Year candidate Mike Zunino crushed a two-run homer into left-center. The sophomore laced a line-drive shot, drilling the trees outside the stadium and cutting the deficit to one.
But Florida's bats were silenced for the remainder of the game, wasting valuable opportunities while the JU relentlessly plated runs.
Florida's midweek pitching woes continued, giving up 11 hits — including five extra-base knocks — despite striking out 11.
"Pitching didn't show up and the bats didn't show up when we needed them to," Zunino said.
Dolphins lefty Matthew Tomshaw tossed six solid innings and scattered five hits, limiting potential damage.
Florida moved to 7-7 in midweek games, a record that's puzzled its manager all season.
"For whatever reason, this team in midweek games has not shown the ability to play good baseball," O'Sullivan said. "I've tried every play in the playbook, every one. But it comes down to the players playing."
The Gators wasted a precious opportunity in the second, notching three hits, but no runs. Panteliodis then surrendered a solo jack in the third before O'Sullivan pulled him for right-hander Anthony DeSclafani, who stranded two runners with a punch-out to end the frame. But the junior was roughed up during the next two innings, allowing five runs (two earned) on five hits.
Both DeSclafani and Panteliodis — and later, freshman Daniel Gibson (one inning, two runs) — struggled locating pitches, especially the fastball.
Although the Gators walked just three, they consistently left pitches up and put the Dolphins in hitters counts.
"I wasn't sharp,” Panteliodis said. “I wasn't throwing everything for strikes. My fastball command was not there. They came out to hit, and they hit my mistakes."
Following the thrashing, O’Sullivan held a lengthy powwow in the dugout. The Gators hope to regroup before Thursday’s pivotal series against Kentucky with a conference championship possibly on the line.
“It’s just one of those things, i"I wasn't sharp,” Panteliodis said. “I wasn't throwing everything for strikes. My fastball command was not there. They came out to hit, and they hit my mistakes."
Following the thrashing, O’Sullivan held a lengthy powwow in the dugout. The Gators hope to regroup before Thursday’s pivotal series against Kentucky with a conference championship possibly on the line.
“It’s just one of those things, it’s disappointing,” O’Sullivan said. But we’re this far into the season so we have to move past it as tough as it is because we have the chance to win the SEC Championship this weekend.”
Etc.: Freshman Zack Powers returned from his knee injury for the first time since the third baseman damaged his knee sliding into second against Georgia on April 15. … Nolan Fontana extended his hitting-streak to seven with an infield knock in the first. … The loss snapped Florida’s eight-game home winning streak.
