TALLAHASSEE — After missing nearly a month, Richie Martin was excited to return in time for the game he had been eying all season.
TALLAHASSEE — No one deserved to catch the final out of Florida’s 4-3 victory against Florida State on Tuesday night more than Harrison Bader.
Through four innings on Sunday, it looked as if Florida was going to have a showing identical to its 2-0 loss to Mississippi State on Saturday.
A day after getting a poor outing from their top starter, the Gators’ got an equally disappointing performance from their lineup.
In a season with no rhyme or reason from one game to the next, Friday night proved no different. A week after right-hander Jonathon Crawford tossed a 106-pitch complete-game shutout against Mississippi, the junior didn’t last past the fifth inning in his first series-opening start in nearly a month.
Less than two innings into the Gators’ game against UCF on Tuesday, they already faced what coach Kevin O’Sullivan said was the most important point in the game.
For half an inning, an errant throw appeared to have turned a game-saving play into a game-changing blunder.
Florida’s pitching owned a Southeastern Conference opponent for the first time this season. Freshman left-hander Danny Young tossed 5.1 scoreless innings as Florida (13-16, 4-5 SEC) defeated No. 11 Ole Miss (23-6, 4-5 SEC) 4-0 on Sunday afternoon at McKethan Stadium to earn its first conference series win this season.
Vickash Ramjit ended his power drought at an ideal time for the Gators.
Jonathon Crawford could tell warming up in the bullpen he’d be in for a gem. He unleashed a plus slider and live fastball from the get-go.
The Gators got what they had been waiting all season for on Saturday: last year’s version of Jonathon Crawford.
Jay Carmichael finally met his match on Friday night.
Baseball can be a cruel game. Florida felt its wrath yet again Friday at McKethan Stadium. Baserunning mistakes killed rallies. Two-out baserunners taxed Florida pitchers. Three innings offered opportunities to win the game. Three times the Gators couldn’t come through.
Jay Carmichael is no stranger to facing elite Southeastern Conference hitting. The freshman right-hander toes the rubber against No. 11 Ole Miss (22-4, 3-3 SEC) on Friday night at 7 a week after shutting down No. 5 Vanderbilt on the road. Carmichael entered the season as an unknown bullpen commodity. He has since emerged as the Friday night starter, leapfrogging heralded ace Jonathon Crawford.
JACKSONVILLE—Florida came inches keeping Florida State from scoring the go-ahead run at The Baseball Grounds. Reactions from both teams told the story. Soft-hitting Florida State shortstop Giovanny Alfonzo raised his right fist in the air in celebration as he crossed first base after singling home Jose Brizuela. The bubble burst in the Florida dugout. After eight-and-a-half innings of sticking with the nation’s No. 2 team, the Gators fell short again.
JACKSONVILLE — Trying to cap off his most dominant performance this year, Danny Young made his biggest mistake of the season.
The Gators ran out of time on Sunday in Nashville, Tenn.
Jonathon Crawford did not pitch like a man starved for run support on Saturday night. The junior surrendered six earned runs on 12 hits in six innings, taking the loss in Florida's 6-1 defeat to No. 2 Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tenn. The loss was UF's first on the road this season.
Friday night started as a showcase of an elite Southeastern Conference pitcher. It ended with the coronation of another.
The Gators took off for Nashville, Tenn., on Thursday morning for their first Southeastern Conference road matchup this season.
Solutions by The State News
