The Gators scored two runs in the top of the first and 4 runs in the top of the ninth against the Tigers on Saturday. In between those two innings, LSU scored 18 times.
No. 21 Florida (25-23, 12-12 Southeastern Conference) went into the final game of its three-game set against No. 3 LSU (43-6, 19-5 SEC) looking to avoid being swept, but fell to the Tigers 18-6 at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge, La.
“Credit LSU; they played great today,” coach Kevin O’Sullivan said.
Florida started the day with the hot bats. Second baseman Casey Turgeon singled and catcher Taylor Gushue drove him in with a triple to deep right field. Gushue came around from third on a sacrifice fly from right fielder Justin Shafer.
But the lead did not last long.
Starting pitcher Danny Young made his first appearance since being hit by a line drive and leaving the game with a cut lip against Tennessee on April 26. Young pitched a scoreless first, but gave up three runs in the second after loading the bases to begin the frame.
“I thought Danny did a nice job in the first,” O’Sullivan said.
O’Sullivan brought in Eric Hanhold to begin the third, and the freshman pitched two scoreless innings. But his final frame was the start of a disastrous series of innings for the Gators.
Hanhold gave up doubles to two of the first three batters in the fifth, and sophomore Ryan Harris came in to relieve him. Harris tossed only 11 pitches, walking two batters – one intentionally – and throwing a wild pitch before O’Sullivan brought in left-hander Daniel Gibson to replace him.
Gibson came in trying to stem the bleeding, but instead had his worst outing of the season. The junior had only surrendered eight runs all year, but gave up seven in his inning of work.
O’Sullivan brought in freshman Jay Carmichael with the bases loaded and one out in the sixth, and the right-hander was greeted by a towering home run from Tigers second baseman JaCoby Jones that hit off the scoreboard beyond the left-field seats, capping an eight-run inning for LSU.
“Everybody’s disappointed, everybody’s frustrated,” O’Sullivan said. “It is what it is. We’ll dissect this thing on the way home and get together as a group tomorrow.”
The Gators would turn to two more pitchers – freshmen Tucker Simpson and Parker Danciu – before the game ended. Simpson gave up three runs before Danciu came in to pitch a scoreless eighth.
Florida did mount a small rally in the top of the ninth inning, hitting six straight singles and plating four runs before Mike Fahrman – who replaced first baseman Vickash Ramjit in the seventh – flew out to center field to end the game.
Florida has a day off before playing Florida A&M on Monday and Florida Atlantic on Tuesday at McKethan Stadium.
“The only good thing out of this thing is we got a chance to play on Monday night,” O’Sullivan said. “Everything’s in front of us, still. All our goals that we set for us this season … is still in front of us.”
A radio broadcast contributed to this report.
Contact Adam Lichtenstein at alichtenstein@alligator.org.
Freshman pitcher Danny Young warms up on the mound before Florida’s 4-0 victory against Ole Miss on March 31 at McKethan Stadium. Young picked up the loss in the Gators' 18-6 loss to the Tigers on Saturday.
