For the Alabama pitching staff, Florida’s lineup is like a recurring nightmare filled with aluminum pings and deep fly balls.
Coming off a nine-run performance the night before, No. 4 UF dominated Alabama starter Jimmy Nelson Saturday. Nelson entered the game with a 3.90 ERA, but the junior allowed seven runs in four innings before getting pulled.
“We’ve been swinging the bats really, really good,” coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “We knew Nelson was a good pitcher, but we’ve got a lot of confidence in our offense right now.”
The Gators (33-11, 17-6 Southeastern Conference) added seven more runs against the Crimson Tide bullpen as the team cruised to a 14-8 victory at Sewell-Thomas to clinch their sixth-straight series. In its last five games, UF has scored more than 10 runs per outing.
The Gators earned a comfortable 6-0 lead in the third inning Saturday after Brian Johnson hit a 1-0 pitch deep to right center for his second grand slam in the past three games.
Johnson went 2 for 3 and will look to carry his success to the mound Sunday at 3:05 p.m. The multifaceted freshman will get the start as Florida goes for its second sweep in as many weekends.
“Obviously, he’s very talented,” O’Sullivan said. “But he’s also got the right mindset and a short memory.”
First baseman Preston Tucker and catcher Mike Zunino tried to match Johnson with a pair of fifth-inning home runs. Zunino’s three-run homer was his fifth long ball in the last 12 games and gave Florida an 11-1 lead.
The Gators have been just as effective on the base paths as they have been with the bats. UF stole six bases Saturday, running the team’s weekend tab to 11.
Florida, which averaged just above one steal per game before this weekend, has yet to be caught against Alabama (28-19, 9-14 SEC).
“Any time you go on the road, you got to take the action to them,” O’Sullivan said.
Sophomore Alex Panteliodis was effective throwing his fastball early, striking out four Alabama batters in the first two innings. He struggled with his location later and was pulled after allowing four runs in six innings.
The outing was not as dominant as Panteliodis’ last appearance against LSU on April 30, when the pitcher threw five scoreless innings before a rain delay derailed him. But UF’s offense provided enough run support Saturday to give Panteliodis his team-leading eighth victory.
The only hiccup for Florida so far this weekend has been its bullpen. UF relievers allowed three runs in the ninth on Friday, and Alabama could have made that six-run game even more interesting, as the Crimson Tide stranded the bases loaded.
On Saturday, Alabama crossed the plate four times in the final three innings against Matt Campbell and Jeff Barfield.
The relievers’ miscues are uncharacteristic, as the Gators’ bullpen has been a bright spot for the team this season. UF is 29-0 when leading after six innings.
But, overall, O’Sullivan said he is pleased with how relaxed his team has been recently.
“We want to play loosey-goosey and do those types of things,” he said. “But we can’t get complacent.”
A radio broadcast contributed to this report.
