The Florida baseball team hoped its 20-run outing against FSU was a sign of things to come. Instead, the Gators struggled mightily against Michigan State's elite pitching staff.
The Bulldogs (18-2) clinched the series in the front end of the doubleheader on Saturday, but Florida (15-7) fought back to avoid the sweep later that day.
Mississippi State starters Ethan Small and JT Ginn combined for 22 strikeouts (11 each) and subdued Florida’s first four batters on Friday and in the first Saturday game. Jacob Young, Brady McConnell, Kendrick Calilao and Nelson Maldonado were a combined 6 for 32 at the plate with 14 strikeouts in the first two games of the series.
Heading into the weekend, Young and McConnell were two of Florida’s most consistent hitters, riding 11- and 15-game hitting streaks, respectively. That duo, who hit first and second, went 3 for 23 on the weekend with nine strikeouts.
The lack of run support spoiled a strong start by Tommy Mace on Friday. The sophomore matched up well against Small on the mound for 6.1 innings, but Florida’s offense only managed one run in that time frame. The Gators rallied in the eighth and ninth innings, but their comeback attempt came up short which led to Mace’s first career loss.
UF’s offense returned to form in the first game on Saturday, but once again, an early deficit forced Florida to fight from behind. Mississippi State took Jack Leftwich deep three times in five innings. He finished with six strikeouts in five innings, but those long balls ultimately sunk the Gators.
Aside from those three home runs, MSU managed another 14 hits en route to a 10-run result.
In the two games that MSU won, its leadoff hitter Jake Mangum hit 5 for 10 with three RBIs and three runs scored. He went 0 for 4 in the one game that Florida won.
The Gators overpowered Mississippi State at the plate and on the mound in the second game of the doubleheader behind a strong start from Tyler Dyson and a three-hit game by Maldonado. Dyson finished with just one strikeout but went six innings and allowed just two runs.
Maldonado provided most of the run support that Mace and Leftwich lacked in the two previous games. The senior captain went 3 for 4 at the plate with a home run and two runs scored.
This is the second-consecutive series that Mississippi State has taken against Florida. The Bulldogs swept the Gators in Starkville, Mississippi, in 2018.
UF cannot lean on its pitching staff as much as it did last season. Mace, Leftwich and Dyson make up a solid rotation, but against a staff led by the likes of Small and Ginn, they were simply overpowered.
The Gators will conclude its 14-game homestand on Tuesday against Jacksonville. These two teams went to extra innings earlier this season, and Florida won 5-4.
Things get tougher for the Gators next weekend as they travel to Nashville, Tennessee, to face No. 1 Vanderbilt for a road series.
Follow Kyle Wood on Twitter @Kkylewood and contact him at kwood@alligator.org.
Florida designated hitter Nelson Maldonado went 5 for 11 during UF's weekend series against Mississippi State.
