HOOVER, Ala. – It seemed like the Gators couldn’t get out of Hoover fast enough.
Despite conference officials’ decision to shorten each of Saturday’s games to seven innings because of weather and time logistics concerns, it felt like the game still wasn’t short enough for UF, which likely had a national seed locked up before the tourney.
No. 4 Florida (42-15), which had been on the road for 11 days, fell 5-2 to crowd-favorite Alabama (37-21) in the shortened game, eliminating it from the Southeastern Conference Tournament.
“(The conference Tournament) is just one of those things that prepares a team for regional play. Playing this many days in a row is a grind,” second baseman Josh Adams said.
Alabama pitcher Adam Morgan thrived off UF’s inpatient approach at the plate. He benefitted from six first-pitch outs and 12 fly ball outs.
After giving up six runs in his first appearance against Florida back on May 7, the left-hander lasted the full seven innings Saturday and only allowed two runs.
“He pitched up and down in the zone and mixed his pitches well,” senior Matt den Dekker said. “We didn’t adjust and hit a lot of fly ball outs and gave him too many easy outs.”
But UF pitcher Tommy Toledo didn’t help his cause against the Crimson Tide.
The redshirt sophomore threw a pickoff attempt over first baseman Preston Tucker’s head in the first, allowing Alabama’s Taylor Dugas to advance from first to third. The center fielder later scored an unearned run off a sacrifice fly to give his team the early 1-0 lead.
Toledo, who made just his fourth appearance Saturday since returning from injury, continued to struggle and he was pulled in the fourth after pitching UF into a 5-0 deficit. He conceding five runs and allowed eight base runners in the short stint.
“I don’t think he got hit awfully hard,” coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “There were a couple of things that occurred during the game that happened because he hasn’t been out there in a while, but I’m encouraged with the way he threw the ball.”
The five-run deficit was too much for Florida to overcome, despite an encouraging performance from the bullpen.
Relievers Jeff Barfield, Nick Maronde and Kevin Chapman combined to throw 2.1 scoreless innings.
The most impressive performance undoubtedly came from Maronde who had given up six earned runs in his last 2.2 innings before Saturday, when he struck out the side in the fifth.
The Gators even made light of the reliever’s control issues with a sarcastic applause from the dugout after Maronde threw seven straight strikes.
“We’ve been working awfully hard with (Maronde),” O’Sullivan. “He’s very talented and it’s not unusual that a good player goes through some tough times. That’s a huge, huge positive for us going into next weekend.”
The bullpen’s performance kept the game within striking distance, but UF’s offense could not figure out Morgan.
