The Florida Gators and Texas Longhorns kicked off their series in Arlington, Texas, on Friday night for the first regular season matchup between the two programs.
The last matchup between the schools was in the 2018 College World Series, where Florida earned a 6-1 victory in Omaha, Nebraska.
The Gators (34-17, 12-13 SEC) came out on top again Friday, powering their way to an 8-2 victory against the No. 1-ranked Longhorns (39-9, 19-6 SEC). Florida set the tone in the first inning with six runs.
Senior outfielder Ty Evans got it started for the Gators. His double to right center allowed fellow senior outfielder Bobby Boser to score. Junior catcher Luke Heyman then scored off a wild pitch, allowing Evans to advance to third.
Junior outfielder Blake Cyr and junior catcher Brody Donay both earned walks and loaded the bases for Florida.
Sophomore outfielder Hayden Yost took advantage, singling through the right side to score Cyr and Evans. Junior outfielder Ashton Wilson walked, and the bases were loaded for the second time in the inning.
Junior infielder Justin Nadeau singled to left field, and Yost and Donay scored to extend the lead to 6-0 in the first.
The Gators scored again in the third inning. Yost started with a double to right field. Wilson bunted, allowing Yost to advance to third base. Nadeau doubled down the right field line, and Yost scored for the second time to extend Florida’s lead to 7-0.
The Longhorns struggled on offense until the third inning. Freshman infielder Adrian Rodriguez hit a triple into left field, allowing graduate catcher Kimble Schuessler to cut Florida’s lead to six.
Florida responded in the fourth. Yost recorded his third hit with a single up the middle, allowing Evans to score for the second time. The sophomore outfielder finished the game with three RBI.
Texas didn’t score another run until the eighth. Sophomore infielder Casey Borba singled, sending junior shortstop Jalin Flores home to make it an 8-2 game.
It would be the last run the Longhorns scored as the Gators’ bullpen held on for the game one victory.
Redshirt junior left-hander Pierce Coppola got the start for the Gators and earned the win. He pitched two scoreless innings and struck out three batters. Redshirt junior right-hander Billy Barlow replaced Coppola in the third,recording six strikeouts in four innings.
Freshman right-hander Jackson Barberi stepped in for Barlow in the seventh. He was promptly replaced by sophomore right-hander Luke McNeillie after giving up a hit and a walk.
McNeillie and redshirt freshman right-hander Christian Rodriguez closed the game for Florida. The two combined for six strikeouts in the final two innings.
For Texas, it was a night to forget on the mound.
Junior right-hander Ruger Riojas got the start but didn’t last long after allowing four runs in the first inning. He was replaced by junior right-hander Max Grubbs, who allowed two runs.
Grubbs lasted until the third, where fellow junior right-hander Grayson Saunier stepped up to the mound. He surrendered two runs and four hits before he was replaced in the eighth by sophomore right-hander Hudson Hamilton, who finished the game for the Longhorns.
Game two of the series will take place on Saturday in Austin, Texas. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. ET.
Contact Adrian Carmona at acarmona@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @abcarmona04
