GAME OVER
This game ends with the same final score as yesterday. UF should be thrilled with this performance.
Edmondson finishes the game with a pop-out to shortstop, a ground-out to shortstop and a strikeout. McKethan Stadium erupts.
This game got testy, but UF held on for a huge win.
END EIGHTH
Barnes walks right away, giving UF a baserunner at the start of the inning. Josh Adams capitalizes right away, smacking a two-run homer to left-center field. WIth that, UF takes a 7-2 lead. They might have just put this game away.
Figueroa is up with the bases empty, but his is already 3 for 3 on the day. He hits the ball off his ankle but it goes fair, and Georgia throws him out. Figueroa doesn't run to second, thinking that wasn't a fair ball. Georgia's catcher then starts talking smack to Figueroa, and UF's bench and bullpens clear. Georgia's bench starts to empty, but nothing comes of it. O'Sullivan argues with the umpires for a while, but the out stands. The fans chant "Back to Athens!"
Pisani gets a hit, a single to center field, then steals second base. Den Dekker hits a slow grounder to second base. Pisani was running on the play and makes it to third, while den Dekker is thrown out.
Georgia replaces McRee with Justin Grimm just in time for Townsend's at-bat. Grimm walks Townsend on four pitches.
Bryson Barber comes in to pinch hit for the Gators against Grimm. He takes the first pitch and then fouls one off. He looks as the next two pass him by for strikes, ending the inning. But those two extra runs certainly don't hurt in the bottom of the eighth, and the Gators are three outs away from taking the series from Georgia.
MID EIGHTH
McArthur's day is again done after seven innings, as Clayton Pisani comes in to replace him at first base.
Beckham is the firsrt up for Georgia for the third time today. He has only had one chance to bring in runners, and that was in the first inning. Beckham is hitting .429, but he grounds out to Townsend, making it an 0-for-4 day.
Poythress follows suit, grounding out to third base on one pitch. The fans love it, and UF is four outs away from victory. Massanari flies out to right, and this inning is three up, three down on six pitches.
END SEVENTH
McArthur grounds out to shortstop at the onset of the seventh inning, but den Dekker follows that with a single. Georgia's new pitcher, Alex McRee, came into the game Friday night and walked a few Gators. He does the same thing here, walking Townsend on four pitches.
Bamberg gets a good piece of a ball from McRee, but the center fielder is in perfect position to make the play. No one advances and this inning is an out away from ending.
Of course, as I type that, Teddy Foster gets his first hit of the day, bringing den Dekker home from second base and extending the lead to three. Pigott grounds out to short to end the inning.
MID SEVENTH
Keating starts off the seventh inning by giving up a single through the right side to Allen. Keating then walks O'Bryan. It appears his day is about done.
Georgia pinch runs for O'Bryan, putting Adam Fuller on first base instead. O'Sullivan walks out to the mound, but leaves Keating in. Keating gives up a quick double to Cerione, and Georgia gets its first run of the game and has runners on second and third with no outs.
Florida then gets its SEC-leading 55th double play. Demperio flies out to right field, and then Pigott shows off his gun of an arm, throwing out Fuller at home. So much for that pinch runner. Pigott and Keating get a huge standing ovation, and Keating gets another as he leaves the ball game.
Josh Edmondson comes into the game to finish off the seventh inning for UF. Instead, Edmondson gives up a hit right away to Peisel, and Cerione scores from second.
For the third time today, Olson is the last out of the inning. He struck out in the third and fifth to get out there, and grounds out to short at the end of the seventh. Georgia creeps closer, but the Gators still have a two-run lead.
END SIXTH
Two pitches, two popouts for Weaver to start the sixth. Pigott pops out to third and Barnes hits a fly ball to second base.
Adams walks and then Figueroa hits a double to left-center field. Adams tries to score but is thrown out at the plate. It was a close play and the umpire makes an unpopular call. But it was probably the right one.
MID SIXTH
Beckham, somehow, is 0 for 3 on the day. That has to be a huge rarity for the Georgia slugger. He trots back to the dugout after flying out to left field, wondering what is wrong with his afternoon.
Poythress comes to the mound next, and Keating sends him back to the dugout with a strikeout, his sixth of the game. Five of Keating's six strikeouts have come against Georgia's one through four batters. This is especially impressive considering what they did to UF on Friday.
A lineout to Figueroa at short from Massanari ends the inning. Keating has gone six strong, no runs and tyed a career-high with six strikeouts.
END FIFTH
Den Dekker starts off the fifth inning with a pop out to shallow center field, and then Beckham makes his second error in as many days, allowing a Jon Townsend grounder to go right under his glove.
Bamberg is up next, and he strikes out. On the strikeout pitch, Townsend steals second base, his second steal on the day. Foster walks to the batters' box, and he taps the ball weakly to the pitcher, ending the Gators' inning.
MID FIFTH
O'Bryan lines out to right field right away at the start of the fifth. Pigott barely has to move to make the catch. Cerione follows that with a single to left field. Keating is starting to show signs of tiring out, and O'Sullivan comes to the mound to talk to him.
Cerione steals second base easily right after the mound coversation, and Keating finishes off the at-bat with Demperio with a walk.
Peisel hits a grounder to third base for what looks like a double play ball. The Gators get Demperio at second, but can't convert the double play when McArthur drops the ball out of his glove. He is visibly frustrated with himself, slamming his glove on the ground. Georgia now has another chance to get out of this inning. Peisel steals second base, and Georgia gets two in scoring position.
Olson works a full count, fouls off a few pitches, and then Keating finally ends the inning, getting his fifth strikeout of the game. He is now in line for the win if the Gators hold on here.
END FOURTH
Pigott starts off the fourth just like he did the third. This time, however, he is not walked on four pitches - he grounds out to third base instead. It was a close play, but Poythress makes a great pick on the throw from Peisel.
Barnes can't get anything going either, as he strikes out looking on an inside fastball. He didn't look too happy with that call. He shook his head as he walked to the dugout. The way he flinched, it looked like the ball was going to hit him.
Adams gets his first hit of the day with a single through the left side, bringing up Figueroa. Figueroa walks, but McArthur flies out to right field, ending the inning.
MID FOURTH
Keating gets some help from his defense in the fourth inning. Josh Adams makes a fantastic leaping catch on a Beckham line drive, then den Dekker runs to deep left-center field to make a catch on a Poythress fly ball.
Massanari hits a single over first base, but Townsend ends the inning by catching a foul ball from Allen. Townsend runs into the dugout on the catch, but he is fine.
END THIRD
Moreau doesn't get off to the best start in the third inning, walking Pigott on four pitches. You can't do that to the No. 9 hitter in the order. Now Moreau faces the Gators' best hitters already with a runner on first.
Barnes takes four balls in a row as well, putting two on and no outs for Adams, Figueroa and then McArthur. Georgia's coach walks to the mound to talk to Moreau, and the hecklers are going crazy. Eight balls in a row.
Adams hits a ball hard to third base and Peisel can only stop it from going into the outfield. He falls down, picks up the ball, and crawls over to third base to get Pigott out. Barnes and Adams are safe, and the Gators still have two on, but now there's one out.
Figueroa hits a hard single to the left fielder. It's so hard that Barnes can't make it home. McArthur is up next with the bases loaded, and he comes through big time with a three-run double down the left field line. The Gators really missed him in the order, and that's what happens when you allow two walks to start the inning.
Den Dekker comes up to the plate, takes four pitches, and then flies out to left field. McArthur has to hold at second base. Townsend is next for UF, and he hits a long ball to left field, but it hooks just foul. It would have been 5-0 in favor of the Gators if that ball had stayed fair.
With a 2-2 count to Townsend, Georgia changes pitchers, putting in Dean Weaver. A very interesting move, changing pitchers with a 2-2 count. We'll see if it pays off for the Bulldogs.
It does not. Townsend fouls off the first pitch from Weaver, then hits a single to right field, scoring McArthur. Townsend steals second base easily. At this point in the inning, UF is playing with house money. If the Gators can get another runner in scoring position, why not try?
Bamberg is up next, and he hits the ball very hard to third base. Again, Peisel cannot handle the groudner, and it bounces off his glove and in front of him. By the time he gets to the ball, Bamberg is safe at first and McArthur is at third.
Teddy Foster can't keep things going, grounding out to short. But this inning was huge for UF, and Keating must be thrilled.
MID THIRD
Michael Demperio hits the ball right through Keating's legs, getting on base to start Georgia's third inning.
After a long battle with Peisel that included about five throws over to first base to hold Demperio there, Keating strikes Peisel out. With Olson at the plate, Keating continues to throw to first base to hold Demperio. Demperio only has five stolen bases on the year, but with Teddy Foster's arm, the Gators are really hoping he doesn't make an attempt.
After all that hard work, it finally pays off. Demperio is caught in a rundown on a throw to first, and the Gators get the 1-3-6-3 putout. A few Georgia players and coaches start arguing with UF players, but nothing big breaks out. Olson takes another pitch for a strike and goes down looking. Olson walks off the field frustrated, turning and yelling at Foster. Keating taunts the Georgia bench. We may have some bad blood here.
END SECOND
Jon Townsend is the first Gators hitter in the second inning, and he grounds the ball right to his counterpart at third base. A routine play retires Townsend.
Up next is Dustin Bamberg. This is his first action as designated hitter in a while, and he takes the first pitch from Moreau deep to right field. The ball looked like it could be gone right off the bat, but instead Olson makes the catch on the warning track.
Teddy Foster steps up in the No. 8 spot, and though the fans love him, he swings through the fourth pitch from Moreau. It's a 1-2-3 inning for the Gators.
MID SECOND
Georgia brings up Bryce Massanari to start off its second inning, and Keating gives him a strike on the outside corner. The home plate umpire is interesting today, as he very clearly calls out "Strike One" or "Strike Two." Most of them will just yell "strike!" Massanari flies out to right field, but Adams makes the catch running all the way back from second.
Lyle Allen is next, and he hits a shot right past Keating's glove into center field. Figueroa and Adams don't even move to get the ball - they know it's a hit and they can't get to it.
Robbie O'Bryan, the only new face in Georgia's lineup today, takes his spot in the batter's box for the first time all weekend. O'Bryan replaced Joey Lewis as the Dogs' designated hitter, and Keating gets him to ground out to second base. Georgia had a hit-and-run on, so Allen makes it safely to second. Adams' only play was to first.
Matt Cerione comes to the plate next, and Keating tells him goodbye on four pitches. That's Keating's second strikeout of the game.
END FIRST
Avery Barnes bunts the ball just under Moreau's glove, but the second baseman, Demperio, makes a good play on the ball and throws Barnes out while falling to the ground.
Josh Adams gets way under a ball, popping it up into foul territory just in front of third base. Looks like Moreau is going to have an easy go at this first inning.
Cole Figueroa is the Gators' third batter, as usual, and he nearly takes Moreau's head off with a laser of a hit right back at the pitcher's mound. Moreau drops to the floor to avoid the comebacker, and Figueroa has a single.
Brandon McArthur gets a hit up the middle as well, just out of Demperio's reach. The ball actually hits Demperio's glove and slows down enough to allow Figueroa to get to third base.
Matt den Dekker steps into the plate and attemps a bunt on the first pitch. This probably caught Georgia by surprise and it might have scored Figueroa, but the bunt goes foul and nothing comes of it. Three pitches later, den Dekker goes down swinging. Two hits with two outs fails to get a run across the plate.
MID FIRST
Keating gets his first out on his first pitch, getting Ryan Peisel to ground out right back to him. But the second batter, Matt Olson, gives him some trouble. After four foul balls and a full count, Olson chops a weak hit down the third base line. Townsend, Foster and Keating crowd around the ball, hoping it goes foul, but it just barely stays fair and Olson has a hit.
Next up is Gordon Beckham, and Keating does the unthinkable, striking him out on three pitches. Beckham leads the nation in home runs and only had 15 strikeouts heading into this game.
Olson steals second base easily on Keating's second pitch to Rich Poythress, but Poythress can't bringing him home. Poythress flies out to center field, ending the inning.
PRE-GAME
Stephen Locke won the Battle of the Stephens yesterday, but that doesn't mean there's nothing left to fight for this weekend. The Gators and Bulldogs square off for the deciding game of this weekend series. The Gators will go with Patrick Keating (7-0, 2.68 ERA) on the mound, while Georgia will put Nathan Moreau (1-1, 4.50 ERA).
Lineup changes for UF including putting Teddy Foster behind the plate and changing Bryson Barber for Dustin Bamberg. If I can manage to continue to touch my fingers to my burning keyboard, I'll keep you posted on the game's progress.
