With the game tied at six in the ninth inning, Kyle Jones stepped up to the plate. The sophomore outfielder played hero, hitting a slider throw by Kentucky’s right-handed pitcher Ryan Mullan to clinch the game for the Gators.
Florida (32-17, 13-11 SEC) defeated Kentucky (29-16, 11-13 SEC) Friday night on a walkoff single in the first game of the weekend series at Condron Family Ballpark.
The ninth inning rally for the Gators was started with a double from senior catcher Karson Bowen. Then the Wildcats decided to intentionally walk senior infielder Cade Kurland with two outs to get to freshman outfielder Jacob Kendall, who worked a walk. This loaded the bases for Kyle Jones.
After seven innings, the Gators had only managed to put up a single run, courtesy of Cade Kurland, when he hit a tape measure home run over the left field berm in the 3rd inning.
In the bottom of the eighth , the Gators were down 6-2, and their chances of winning were looking bleak. But sophomore infielder Brendan Lawson, came up to the plate with the bases loaded.
Up to this point it hadn’t been a night to remember for Lawson as he’d gone 0-for-3 while also being hit by a pitch.
But as the clock struck midnight, Lawson laced a line drive down the left field line, beating the shift and clearing the bases.
He advanced to third base on the play, and on the next pitch, scored when the pitcher threw the ball in the dirt to tie the game at six.
Sophomore starting pitcher Aidan King looked to be his usual self through the first two innings. To start the game he flirted with an immaculate inning while striking out two, and then cruised through the second inning, striking out another. It appeared to be the start of a typical Aidan King Friday night pitching performance, but then the third inning came around.
Kentucky put up three runs, with two of them coming from Kentucky infielder Luke Lawrence when he hit a 2-RBI double off the wall in left center field.
Kentucky junior starting pitcher Ben Cleaver held the Gators to one run through four innings of work.
The Gators had a chance to come back in the bottom of the sixth inning, but couldn’t come through until the end. Kentucky freshman catcher Owen Jenkins overthrew the first baseman on a drop third strike, which allowed Florida catcher Karson Bowen to reach base.
That was followed quickly by a double from junior infielder Landon Stripling which put two runners in scoring position with two outs. Then, Cade Kurland came to the plate.
Entering this at-bat, Kurland was 2-for-2 with a single and a home run. He was the man Florida wanted at the plate, but after working a 2-2 count, Kurland struck out looking.
This appeared to be the end for the Gators as Kentucky scored two more runs and knocked Aidan King out of the game in the seventh inning, courtesy of RBI singles from outfielder Jayce Tharnish and infielder Luke Lawrence once again. Lawrence ended up going 2-for-5 with a double and 3 RBIs. He was the strength of Kentucky’s offense.
King went 6.1 innings but gave up five earned runs, his most of the season.
“He grinded tonight,” head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said.
Freshman right handed pitcher Schuyler Sandford came in for King and gave up one run over 1.2 innings pitched.
The Gators offense sputtered again in the bottom of the seventh inning before it staged its late game comeback in the eighth.
After tying the game, in the top of the ninth inning, the Gators had freshman right handed pitcher Joshua Whritenour, one of college baseball’s premier relief pitchers, replace Sandford, and he held Kentucky to no runs while striking out one in one inning of work. His performance helped set up the walkoff win.
Florida will attempt to clinch the series Saturday with first pitch set for 4 p.m. at Condron Family Ballpark.
Contact Colton Veres at cveres@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter at @colton_veres.
