JACKSONVILLE - When the rain clouds settled over the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville, finalizing a 3-2 five-inning loss for UF at the hands of rival FSU, the Gators' recent propensity for slow starts became magnified as the last four innings were washed away.
UF (18-9) has mounted four come-from-behind wins in its last seven games, but Mother Nature didn't give the No. 20 Gators enough time to make it five out of the last eight.
"We've proven we can come back from any deficit," said freshman Preston Tucker, who was instrumental in a seven-run ninth inning comeback against Alabama. "Unfortunately, we didn't have a chance to do that tonight."
Though Tuesday night's loss was only UF's second in its last 11 contests, the starting rotation has had a tough time eating any significant amount of innings for the pitching staff.
Senior Stephen Locke started the game for the Gators, and just seven outs later, he took a seat in the first-base dugout to watch the rest of the game. The 2 1/3 innings were actually 1/3 of an inning longer than he was able to last on March 25 when he made his first appearance of the season after rejoining the team.
While Locke's short stints have been a result of a predetermined pitch count, the rest of the rotation can't make the same excuse. Over the last eight games, the Gators have received an average of 3 innings from their starters, with the longest outing - five innings - coming from freshman Anthony DeSclafani against North Florida.
The last time a UF starter lasted longer than five innings was against Tennessee on March 20 when junior Jeff Barfield threw 6 2/3 innings in a 3-2 win. Freshman Greg Larson, who made his fifth relief appearance in this eight-game stretch, took over for Locke with one out in the third inning against FSU (17-8) and kept both of his inherited runners from scoring.
The next inning, however, he worked into a bases-loaded jam, and UF coach Kevin O'Sullivan had to go to Alex Panteliodis to get out of the inning.
"I never should've had to go to A.P. in that inning," O'Sullivan said.
In the fifth and final inning, Jack Posey's mammoth solo home run put the Seminoles out in front yet again, and the Gators knew they didn't have much time to respond.
"We had a team meeting before (the fifth inning) started," Tucker said. "We knew we had to string some hits together and score some runs."
After UF squandered a leadoff single by Jerico Weitzel, any hopes of a comeback disappeared along with the red infield clay, which the grounds crew immediately covered up with a white tarp.
The Gators have been more about the finish than the start as of late, but O'Sullivan has said he may have to shake up the struggling starting rotation heading into the heart of Southeastern Conference play.
