The Gators baseball team came into Athens, Ga., treading water and it’s simply now or never in their last regular-season series of the season.
After dropping two of three games to then-N0. 4 Kentucky in extra innings the previous weekend in Gainesville, the Gators (26-26, 11-17 SEC) are pressing going against the No. 9 Georgia Bulldogs (39-12, 17-11) and for good reason.
The Gators are projected by D1 Baseball to miss the NCAA Tournament. However, Florida is hoping to avoid that problem for the first time in the coach Kevin O’Sullivan era.
But the frustration started Wednesday night when Florida freshman outfielder Hayden Yost suffered a left knee injury at practice on Foley Field. The Gators are already shorthanded when starting right fielder Ty Evans broke his wrist last weekend.
Matters got worse in the first inning of Thursday’s 9-4 loss, as the Dawgs struck first, prompting O’Sullivan to spike his Gatorade cup across the dugout in an all-round disappointing performance from the Gators.
Jac Caglianone’s program tying 30-game hit streak came to a close to top it all off by going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.
Final from game 1.
Game 2 is set for tomorrow at 1:00 p.m.#GoGators | Presented by @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/8Wh5LorDEd
— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) May 17, 2024
It wasn’t the sacrifice fly that scratched a run across, it was the mistake with two out on an 0-1 fastball from starter Pierce Coppola (0-3) clipped by Paul Toetz for an opposite field homer that pushed an early three-run lead for Georgia that started the headache.
Florida is 4-17 when the opposing team scores in the first inning, and the hole was dug deeper with a homer from Dillon Carter the ensuing inning to go up 4-0 over the Gators.
Heyman Highlight
Despite getting held to six hits and striking out 14 times, the Gators do carry a hot hitter into Game 2.
Catcher Luke Heyman (2-for-4, 3 RBIs) collected his second multi-homer performance in three games.
He started the scoring for Florida in the third with a solo homer to left field, his 12th on the year, that cut the deficit to three.
https://twitter.com/GatorsBB/status/1791236926449889387
Pitching Carousel Continues
O’Sullivan has been known to spread the arms out across the board in any given game due to unreliable starting pitching. Six pitchers were dealt sparingly Thursday night.
After Coppola found himself with two runners in scoring position to start the third, his day was cut short after giving up four runs on four hits, including three extra base hits, in 48 pitches.
Jake Clemente got the first call out of the pen.
Clemente’s been the glue of the Gator bullpen in his last 7.1 innings posting 11 strikeouts and it showed to some extent. Clemente got three outs in 17 pitches with consecutive strikeouts and a ground ball to give Florida its first clean inning and hold the deficit.
Back at the plate, Brody Donay (1-for-4) gave Georgia a taste of its own two-out medicine in the fourth with a moon shot to right field, cutting it to 4-2.
https://twitter.com/GatorsBB/status/1791245677403783672
Clemente worked another clean inning in the fourth, but it only held for so long.
Florida held the nation’s home run leader Charlie Condon to a quiet day at the plate.
However, an intentional walk followed by a double off the wall from Tre Phelps to start the fifth led to Clemente giving up his first set of runs since April 30, putting the Bulldogs up 6-2.
One of those runs being let up was by a lackadaisical effort from Tyler Shelnut in left field on a routine ground ball through the hole that allowed a run to score from second.
And he's SAFE AT THE PLATE#GoDawgs | @TrePhelps1 pic.twitter.com/Z9VUW9GCGb
— Georgia Baseball (@BaseballUGA) May 16, 2024
Right-hander Fisher Jameson took over next on the bump and immediately gave up a RBI double that made it 7-2.
He went back out in the sixth, but a short leash on the pitching staff got him pulled after 16 pitches and the next pitcher in Cade Fisher got the boot after just six pitches with Condon stepping to the plate again.
Ryan Slater then took over and cleaned up, stranding the bases loaded to head into the seventh.
Carter launched his second homer of the night for two more Bulldog runs in the seventh and a 9-2 advantage.
lol he's so back!#GoDawgs | @dilloncarter16 pic.twitter.com/3rKR3ncNxi
— Georgia Baseball (@BaseballUGA) May 17, 2024
Slater got the boot after 21 pitches to add to a disappointing game from the bullpen. Frank Menendez came on next and stopped the bleeding to strand the bases loaded, but the damage was already done.
Florida showed one last ounce of magic in the ninth from Heyman on a two-run shot off the batter’s eye, but it made no difference in the loss being added and Florida falling to .500 on the season.
A loss of this magnitude in a must-win series is crushing for Florida, which was silent for a majority of the night on both sides of the game.
Up Next
The Gators have a quick turnaround for Game 2, with a new start time of 1 p.m. today to avoid anticipated inclement weather later in the evening. They look to avoid losing their seventh consecutive series. The game will air on SEC Network+.
Friday’s lineup card 📝#GoGators pic.twitter.com/VeZjFoBj0v
— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) May 17, 2024
