It only took Georgia half an inning to show why it is the best team in the Southeastern Conference.
The Bulldogs strung together three hits and a walk to score two runs in the top of the first, and it was all downhill from there for the Gators.
No. 10 Georgia (29-12-1, 15-3-1 SEC) added four runs on two homers in the third inning and got a fabulous performance from starter Trevor Holder on its way to a 7-4 win against UF (25-16, 10-9 SEC) on Friday night.
With a lead that early and a 7-for-7 performance from their 2 through 5 hitters through three innings, Holder had all the run support he needed.
The junior right-hander (6-2) went seven strong innings and allowed four runs. He struck out four Gators and only threw 75 pitches.
His counterpart, UF pitcher Billy Bullock (3-3), had a night where he looked brilliant in some innings and terrible in others. Along with giving up seven runs on 12 hits, Bullock also set a new career-high with seven strikeouts. Go figure.
"Billy was 10 out of 32 in first-pitch strikes," UF coach Kevin O'Sullivan said. "It's hard to do that against good hitting teams."
The seventh inning looked to be just another dominating inning from Holder, but with two outs the Gators struck.
First baseman Brandon McArthur hit a double to left-center field, then O'Sullivan replaced him with pinch runner Clayton Pisani. Townsend brought Pisani home with a single, and then designated hitter Bryson Barber smacked a two-run homer off the right-field scoreboard to bring the Gators within three.
UF then loaded the bases in the bottom of the eighth, but it was all for naught when Georgia's sensational closer trotted out of the bullpen.
Senior right-hander Josh Fields got his 12th save, striking out Josh Adams and Pisani in the eighth, then Jon Townsend, Barber and Hampton Tignor in the ninth to end the game.
Five batters faced and five strikeouts plus 98 mph on the speed gun? Forget about it.
"He's a very good player," Barber said of Fields, who was drafted in the second round of the MLB Draft in 2007. "One of the beset pitchers in the nation. … He located all his pitches. He did a very good job."
The Gators face Georgia again Saturday at 3 p.m. O'Sullivan knows he can't dwell on Friday's loss, but instead must look forward to Saturday's game.
"I think it's the only thing we can do," O'Sullivan said.
