GAME OVER
Adams starts off the ninth with a double, the Gators' first extra-base hit since Tuesday against North Florida. Bamberg strikes out, and it looks like Keuchel's night is over, finally. The Arkansas ace went a more-than-respectable 8.1 innings, throwing two strikeouts and only allowing one run.
Den Dekker quickly goes down 0-2 against the new pitcher, Steven Richards. He takes an outside ball with the third pitch, then fouls off the fourth. On the fifth pitch, den Dekker check-swings but actually goes, striking out. He is very frustrated with himself and bangs the bat onto the floor. Pigott grounds out next to end the game.
A ninth-inning rally doesn't come through for the Gators.
MID NINTH
Forsythe starts off the inning with a double to right-center field, and den Dekker couldn't quite make the play. Jones follows with a strikeout, and it looks like Edmondson is done. Tony Davis is coming in, rocking out to "Paradise City" by Guns 'N' Roses.
Davis always comes in to face lefties, and this time it's no different. Tschepikow, one of three lefties on Arkansas, steps in against Davis. Davis gets the job done, causing Tschepikow to pop out to shortstop.
And that's the end of Davis' night, as Franklin comes in to "Rock You Like a Hurricane." Eibner comes in and wallops the ball to left-center field, but den Dekker makes up for his earlier drop by making a great sliding catch to end the inning.
END EIGHTH
Clayton Pisani takes a nasty swing at a pitch from Keuchel, hitting the ball opposite field right to the first baseman. A dinky grounder becomes a simple out. When UF is down by one, they can't afford those little grounders right to first.
Foster gets to first base on a walk, his second time on base tonight. O'Sullivan pulls him in favor of freshman Chris Freshcorn, who will pinch-run.
Barnes, the Gators' leadoff man, comes to the plate as one of only three Gators to reach base twice tonight (Foster and Babmerg are the others, if you're wondering, but one of Bamberg's was on a fielder's choice). Barnes makes solid contact on a 2-2 pitch from Keuchel, but flies out directly to the right fielder. Jones barely had to move to make that catch. Four outs to go in this game for UF.
Townsend is next. He has one single on the night, and makes a big swing on the first pitch he sees from Keuchel. Karl Hyppolite, sitting next to me, asks, "Is that Riley Cooper?" Townsend eventually works the count long enough that he gets a walk. Freshcorn moves to second.
Figueroa is up next. As the guy with the second-best batting average on the team, UF has to hope for something great from him. Instead, Cole grounds out for the third time tonight.
MID EIGHTH
Nutt breaks the tie right at the start of the eighth inning, smacking a home run over the Arkansas bullpen in right field. The Arkansas relief pitchers stand up and wave the ball goodbye as it goes over their heads, and the Gators fans taunt Nutt by saying he can't get the ball over the palm trees behind the bullpen.
Muprhree follows that with a strikeout, his second of the night, and that might help Edmondson's confidence.
Smalling hits the ball hard to third base, and Townsend makes a fantastic diving stop. Townsend then throws to first, and Pisani drops the ball on a hop. He's charged with an error, and Smalling reaches safely. Cisterna then strikes out, and that makes two for Edmondson this inning.
Leavitt hits what looks to be a double. Barnes cuts the ball off and throws to second, where Adams tags him out. Instead of two men on, the Hogs' inning is over.
END SEVENTH
Adams walks to start the seventh for UF. Arkansas' catcher goes to the mound to talk to Keuchel, and then trots back to the plate, satisfied with what he said.
Bamberg is up next, and he takes the first ball from Keuchel. Arkansas' coach comes out to the mound next, but leaves Keuchel in the game. Bamberg hits into what looks like a double play, but he beats out the throw to first base. Adams is out at second, however.
Den Dekker follows suit, hitting a double-play ball but beating the throw to first base. It seems the Gators' threat is already averted, with Keuchel back to the form he showed in the first few innings.
Keuchel continues to throw over to first base, possibly as many as four times in a row. The fans boo loudly, but Keuchel doesn't seem to care. He throws to first again, and the fans stand up and applaud wildly and sarcastically. They then boo when he throws the ball to Pigott. They cheer for him to "Throw the ball to first!" Pigott, meanwhile, takes ball two, and the fans boo again. Pigott grounds out to third base. The fans have nothing to say to Keuchel this time. He's throwing a fantastic game.
MID SEVENTH
Cisterna starts the seventh with a single, and then Leavitt tries to bunt him over. The bunt is a pop-up behind the plate, and Foster locates the ball for the out. The fans go wild, chanting "Ted-dy Fos-ter!" over and over again. They love him.
Forsythe walks, and the Hogs have runners on first and second with one out. O'Sullivan comes out to talk to Bullock. His next pitch will be 100th, but Bullock comes out and Josh Edmondson comes in. Bullock gets a standing ovation from the Gators' crowd. His line: 6.1 innings, 6 hits, 1 run, earned, four strikeouts and three walks.
Edmondson strikes out Jones after a long, long at-bat, then intentionally walks Tschepikov to load the bases. Eibner, the Hogs' cleanup hitter, is up next, and he hits a fly ball to left field. Barnes makes the play, ending the huge threat and getting UF out of a jam.
END SIXTH
Avery Barnes starts off the sixth inning with a single through the right side. This is the third time through the order now. Maybe the Gators will show they've learned something against Keuchel, because he's certainly shown them some great stuff in his first two times through the order.
Jon Townsend smacks the ball a long way, but Eibner in center field is fast enough to catch up with it. That looked like it could be a run-scoring double, but Eibner's quickness prevented the ball from dropping.
Figueroa then grounds into an inning-ending double play, the Gators' third double play of the game. O'Sullivan might be blowing a fuse.
MID SIXTH
Eibner makes it a dismal 0-3 night for himself, flying out to left field to start the Backs' sixth inning. Bullock is looking good again, and he can probably go another full inning after this one if O'Sullivan needs him to. And he just might.
Nutt pops out to Figueroa at short, and Bullock again points vehemently at the ball in the sky while screaming "Up! Up! Up!" The ball is up, apparently.
With two down, Murphree is the Hogs' last hope this inning. Murphree walks, then steals second base. Smallling strikes out, ending the threat.
END FIFTH
Pigott goes 1-3 at the onset of the fifth inning. It has to be so frustrating to ground out to the pitcher. Half the time, that ball goes up the middle for a single. But twice already tonight Gators have grounded out right ti Keuchel.
Pisani hits a grounder to shorstop, quickly putting two outs on the board for the Gators.
Teddy Foster can't make it six consecutive plate appearances reaching base. He grounds out to short, ending the Gators' inning. That's two innings in a row UF has gone 1-2-3. That's not helping break the tie. Keuchel looks fantastic.
MID FIFTH
The Razorbacks get their leadoff man on for the third time tonight. This time, Leavitt hits a bunt single to the right side. Forsythe, the No. 1 hitter, follows that with a fly ball to den Dekker for the first out of the inning. Bullock loves pointing his finger up in the air.
Jones grounds to first base, and Pisani throws to second to get the lead runner out. Bullock hustles to first to try to make a double play, but Jones beats the throw and the Razorbacks are in the same situation as before but with one more out.
Tschepikow grounds out to Figueroa, and Cole made a great play on the ball. It hopped just before going into his glove. Almost falling forward, he threw to Pisani at first for the inning-ending out.
END FOURTH
Josh Adams can't get anything going, grounding out to the shortstop. His batting average has dropped about .04 points in the last few weeks. He's been in quite the slump. Bamberg follows that with a ground out to third base, and Bamberg is also not hitting well. Maybe it's just that Keuchel is pitching extremely well.
Den Dekker flies out to center field, and now he's responsible for six outs on the night. Another fast half-inning for the Gators, as they go 1-2-3.
MID FOURTH
Bullock goes up 0-2 on Eibner, then throws three straight balls. On the sixth pitch, Eibner flies out to deep center field.
On the next pitch, Nutt does the same thing. Matt den Dekker is already responsible for five outs tonight - three fly balls to center field and a double play from him at the plate.
Murphree makes up for his strikeout in his first at-bat, this time hitting a single up the middle to put a Hog on the basepath with two outs. The next hitter, Smalling, hits a laser past Townsend for Arkansas' second hit in a row off Bullock. O'Sullivan comes out of the dugout to talk to his pitcher and leaves him out there.
Cisterna grounds right to Townsend, who throws to second base for the force out. Arkansas again leaves the field after stranding two runners.
END THIRD
Jonathan Pigott, who hit the game-winning run on Tuesday night against North Florida, gets on base with a hit-by-pitch to start the third inning. That was the first bad pitch Keuchel has thrown all night. He's looked slightly better than Bullock.
Clayton Pisani hits a high bouncer just over Keuchel's arm, and it goes in a straight line. Unfortunately for the Gators, it's right to the second baseman, who picks it up with his foot on second base and throws to first for the double play. That's already two double plays against UF for Arkansas.
Teddy Foster, a fan favorite because of his "Please Don't Stop the Music" introduction song, steps into the batters box. The fans applaud as Foster reaches base on a ground ball to the third baseman, Forsythe. Forsythe made a fantastic pick on the ball, but threw it too high to the first baseman. With two outs, the Gators finally can't get involved with a double play.
Avery Barnes follows that with a slow roller to first base. Murphree picks up the ball and has to throw to Keuchel to get the out, but Barnes beats it out and Keuchel can't believe it. The umpire frantically waves safe, and the inning continues with Foster on third.
And this game is tied, folks. Townsend comes through with a big single up the middle, and Foster scores from third. Barnes moves to third, and it seems like Keuchel was affected by that safe call at first base on the previous play.
Figueroa ends the inning on a check swing right to third base. Forsythe just calmly steps on the bag, getting Barnes out on the force.
MID THIRD
Forsythe hits a hard line drive, and this time Townsend doesn't have to move an inch at third base. The senior makes the catch, and it's one down for Arkansas. Bullock retires the next batter, Sean Jones, on one pitch, a fly ball to second base.
Tschepikow flies out to center field to end a very very fast third inning.
END SECOND
Josh Adams starts the Gators' half of the second with a hard-hit ball right back to Keuchel. The pitcher calmly trots toward first base, then underhands the ball to Murphree. It's one out, but Adams got a real good piece of that ball. Next time, Keuchel might not be so lucky.
Dustin Bamberg is next, and he hits a grounder just to Keuchel's left. It is touched by Tschepikow at second base, but it gets through and Bamberg is safe at first. There goes Keuchel's no-hitter.
It all goes for nothing, however, as Matt den Dekker immediately grounds into a 6-4-3 double play. The Gators could have had so much more, but it's all over that fast.
MID SECOND
Bullock allows a single to Arkansas' leadoff hitter - Jeff Nutt, no relation to Houston - up the middle, giving the Razorbacks leadoff runners on base for two innings in a row. Their second hitter, Aaron Murphree, tries to bunt but the ball goes so high and backward that it clears the net protecting fans in the stands. I've never seen that in my life. Down 0-2, Murphree strikes out, Bullock's second of the night.
Bullock gets his third strikeout and second in a row against Tim Smalling. If he hadn't given up that leadoff walk in the first, Bullock would be looking (a la Larry David) pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty good.
Bullock faces Ryan Cisterna, and Cisterna gets a hit just past Jon Townsend on the fifth pitch. It was a line drive to Townsend's left, and the third baseman made a valiant diving effort. The ball hit the end of his glove and went into the outfield, putting two runners on base.
Chase Leavitt, the Hogs' No. 9 batter, falls victim to Bullock as he grounds out to shortstop. The Razorbacks give up a great opportunity to add to their lead.
END FIRST
Three up, three down for the Gators. Avery Barnes grounds out straight to first base, Jon Townsend hits a slow grounder to the shortstop, and Cole Figueroa strikes out looking on an inside pitch. Keuchel looks great thus far.
MID FIRST
Billy Bullock starts the game by doing exactly what coach Kevin O'Sullivan hates - walking a man, and walking the leadoff man to be exact. Arkansas' second batter moves him over to second base with a sacrifice bunt, and he gets to third base on a balk from Bullock.
It's a man on third with one out, so Arkansas calmly grounds out, scoring Logan Forsythe and taking the very early lead. That's what happens with leadoff runners reaching base. Bullock recovers quickly and strikes out Brett Eibner, ending the inning.
PRE-GAME
This game must be a pretty big deal for the Razorbacks, as Arkansas media outlets sent two different newspapers here to cover the game. I'm impressed.
As for the Gators, they are starting pitcher Billy Bullock (3-2 3.09 ERA) against Arkansas' Dallas Keuchel (2-1, 3.44 ERA). Bullock had a great outing in Tennessee last week, but the Gators couldn't put up enough offense to help him out. They scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth, but still lost 5-4.
Starting at designated hitter for UF tonight is Dustin Bamberg, going against the Bryson Barber starts from the middle of the week. Teddy Foster remains as UF's catcher, and Jon Townsend is batting in the No. 2 spot.
