Dalton Guthrie bobbled the relay throw.
Following Tennessee catcher Benito Santiago’s double in the 10th inning, Justin Ammons raced around the bases. UT’s third base coach had every intention of sending Ammons, most likely aware that Florida’s shortstop hasn’t played the field much over the past month due to arm soreness.
It didn’t matter.
Guthrie juggled it and couldn’t muster the arm strength home in time. UF head coach Kevin O’Sullivan crouched down, placing his arms on his knees in disappointment.
Following an extra-inning 7-6 loss to Tennessee a day prior, Florida couldn’t afford another loss.
Not to a team that entered Gainesville 1-8 in Southeastern Conference play. Not if the Gators have any intention of earning a national seed in the NCAA Tournament come June.
But without three key hitters in the Gators’ (20-11, 5-6 SEC) 3-2 loss to the Volunteers Saturday night at McKethan Stadium, that looked bleak from the first pitch on.
Infielders Deacon Liput, Jonathan India and JJ Schwarz were kept out of the lineup for what O’Sullivan called a violation of team rules.
Though he wouldn’t divulge exactly what rules they violated, O’Sullivan said the trio would play Sunday.
“Just team rules, that’s all,” O’Sullivan said.
Florida had plenty of chances to score more than the pair of runs, but it squandered them on the base paths.
The first mistake came in the second, when Ryan Larson failed to take third base on a hit-and-run through the right side. It came back to haunt UF, as Mark Kolozsvary singled to load the bases before Garrett Milchin chopped into an inning-ending double play.
In the fifth, it was Blake Reese’s turn.
While on second on a Nelson Maldonado single to right field, Reese hesitated a bit before taking off for third. As Reese rounded third, UT’s Matt Waldren fired behind him, getting him caught in a rundown.
O’Sullivan said Reese should’ve read how deep the outfielder was and got a better jump initially.
“I don’t think there should’ve been any mix up at all,” he said of Reese and third base coach Craig Bell.
One positive against Tennessee (17-11, 3-8 SEC), however, was Brady Singer.
Follow back-to-back complete game victories, the sophomore right-hander scattered six hits over 7.1 innings of two-run ball, striking out eight and walking two.
Singer, who entered the game with a top-10 ERA in the SEC, now owns a team-leading 1.60 ERA among Florida’s starters.
“Command,” he said. “I felt like if I have my sinker going to both sides of the plate, I’m going to have a good night.”
But without Liput, India and Schwarz in the lineup providing run support, the Gators couldn’t help Singer out enough. Even he recognized that.
“It hurts,” Singer said. “But we have people behind them that are just as good.”
One player that has stood out is Ryan Larson, who’s led the team this series at a 7-for-10 clip through two games. To him, stats mean nothing as long as Florida appears in the loss column.
“I feel real good seeing the ball well,” he said. “But the loss is pretty disappointing. Especially at home.”
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UF pitcher Brady Singer walks off the field during Florida's 3-2 loss to Tennessee on April 8, 2017, at McKethan Stadium.
