Friday night’s game between No. 6 Florida (28-11, 12-6 Southeastern Conference) and No. 15 LSU (32-10, 11-7 SEC) was suspended because of thunderstorms.
The Gators were leading 7-0 in the bottom of the fifth and had runners on second and third when umpire Tony Walsh told both teams to go to their locker rooms as lightning struck nearby.
The game will begin where it left off, with a 2-1 count to UF left fielder Tyler Thompson, on Saturday 30 minutes after the teams finish the regularly scheduled 2 p.m. game.
The rain delay postponed what had been an lopsided game Friday night. Mike Zunino, Thompson and Josh Adams – Florida’s Nos. 7, 8 and 9 hitters, respectively – drove home six of the team’s seven runs, and LSU ace Anthony Ranaudo exited after just two innings.
Ranaudo, who is projected as a top-10 pick in this year’s MLB Draft, was hit in the leg by a line drive off Thompson’s bat in the second inning. The game was delayed as he recovered, but he stayed in for the rest of the frame and served up a three-run homer to Adams.
UF starter Alex Panteliodis, on the other hand, was as sharp as he had been all season. The rain and lightning was all that could derail him Friday, as he allowed only four hits in five efficient innings.
The sophomore appeared poised to pitch deep into the game, as he unofficially threw just 52 pitches. Panteliodis had struggled with his command in his last two starts, hanging pitches and giving up a combined six homers.
On Friday, however, the right-hander had pinpoint control. Keeping pitches low in the strike zone, Panteliodis induced 11 ground balls out of 15 total balls put in play against him.
The Gators and Tigers will play the second game in the series Saturday at 2 p.m. on ESPNU. Thirty minutes after that game finishes, the two teams will finish Friday night’s game.
