Brady McConnell went yard in his first at-bat following his first missed game all season.
The Gators shortstop’s home run was the first of three the team hit on Friday night at Alfred A. McKethan Stadium.
Power hitting lifted Florida to a 10-8 win over Kentucky to take Game 1 of the series.
UF (27-17, 8-11 SEC) took an early lead after McConnell’s leadoff home run in the bottom of the first inning. Designated hitter Nelson Maldonado built on that lead with a three-run homer to put Florida ahead 4-0 in the second.
Kentucky, however, stormed back. The Wildcats (21-21, 4-15 SEC) bagged three runs in the fourth inning, two of which came on a home run by third baseman Coltyn Kessler. Kentucky added another run in the fifth inning to tie the game.
The Gators responded with consecutive three-run innings to keep their noses ahead. Right fielder Wil Dalton led the fifth inning outburst with a two-run homer to put UF back on top 6-4. Second baseman Jacob Young followed with an RBI double that same inning.
In the sixth inning, Maldonado built on his 3 for 5 night with a two-RBI double. He finished the night with five RBIs and two extra base hits . Dalton later drove Maldonado in with a sacrifice fly for Florida’s final run of the game.
The Wildcats added two runs in the sixth and seventh innings, respectively, but could not overcome the 7-4 deficit they faced after the fifth inning.
Tommy Mace started on the mound for Florida but went just 4.2 innings, his second-shortest outing of the season. He exited early after taking a line drive to the face. Mace walked off the field under his own power and was replaced by Christian Scott, who recorded his fourth win of the season.
“We really dodged a bullet there. When it first happened, we thought it caught him flush, but obviously when he got up right away that was a good sign,” coach Kevin O’Sullivan said in a release.
Mace allowed four runs on three hits and struck out three batters in 4.2 innings on the night.
“He’s going to be okay,” O’Sullivan added.
After Mace’s departure, Scott, Jordan Butler and Nolan Crisp finished the game out of the bullpen. Crisp earned his eighth save of the season and his first in SEC play, allowing one hit and no runs in 1.2 innings.
Much of the damage Florida did at the plate came against Kentucky pitcher Jimmy Ramsey. He allowed seven earned runs on 11 hits in 4.2 innings. In the remaining 3.1 innings, the Gators managed just two hits but still managed to plated three runs.
UF outhit Kentucky 13-9 and had eight extra base hits. Friday was the 22nd time this season Florida surpassed 10 hits and the 10th time in the last 16 games.
The Gators erupted in the first game of its series last weekend at LSU but sputtered to drop the series. UF will look to avoid such a collapse on its home field -- where it has fared much better than on the road -- in a pivotal SEC series.
You can contact Kyle Wood at kwood@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @Kkylewood.
Gators DH Nelson Maldonado had 5 RBIs in Friday's win over Kentucky.
