Down by a run in the top of the fourth in Saturday’s rubber game against Georgia, Florida had a chance to start a two-out rally.
Designated hitter Brady Roberson singled, and shortstop Cody Dent – batting .165 on the season – drew a walk to put runners on first and second for the top of the Gators’ lineup.
Freshman Richie Martin worked a 3-2 count from Georgia hurler Jared Walsh before grounding out to second base to end the inning.
One batter later, Bulldogs center fielder Justin Bryan hit a leadoff home run to start the bottom of the fourth. Georgia scored twice in the inning and didn’t look back, winning 9-2 to take the series.
“We’ve been fighting like heck to get a big hit,” coach Kevin O’Sullivan said.
After Georgia added two runs in the fourth, Florida had another chance with two outs and runners in scoring position in the fifth inning on Saturday. The Gators failed for the second frame in a row.
Right fielder Justin Shafer singled, and first baseman Vickash Ramjit followed with a base hit. But despite being ahead in the count 2-0, left fielder Harrison Bader fouled out to left field.
“We had some opportunities there in the fifth to kind of crawl back into it,” O’Sullivan said. “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to come up with a big hit.”
Eighth-seeded Florida (29-27, 14-16 Southeastern Conference) will look to improve on its situational hitting when it faces No. 9 seed Texas A&M (30-25, 13-16 SEC) tonight in Hoover, Ala., at 5:30 p.m.
“The postseason is a brand new season,” O’Sullivan said. “It’s a clean slate.”
Closer to make third start: After Florida’s loss to Georgia on Saturday, O’Sullivan announced that sophomore Johnny Magliozzi would get the start against Texas A&M on Tuesday.
Magliozzi’s last start came against Auburn on May 11. The right-hander gave up three runs in seven innings.
“(We’ll) throw our best guy out there,” O’Sullivan said. “It’s a one-game play in type of thing, so we’re going to give it our best shot.”
A radio broadcast contributed to this report.
Contact Adam Lichtenstein at alichtenstein@alligator.org.
Right-handed pitcher Johnny Magliozzi (left) celebrates with catcher Taylor Gushue during Florida’s 4-0 win against Ole Miss on March 31 at McKethan Stadium.
