There is something wrong with this baseball team. 3 starters suspended for this game alone. They were also getting slammed by Stetson the other night before the weather intervened and this weekends foe is the worse team in the SEC. Last year after 30 games they were 27-3 and this year they were 20-10. I don't know what the problem is but I hope Sully can get it turned around.
Charlie
--High Vol-tage
Gators are again stunned by once-struggling Volunteers
Florida's Nick Horvath (26) slides into second as Tennessee's Jeff Moberg (6) throws to first to turn a double play during the second game of the weekend series against Tennessee at McKethan Stadium in Gainesville Saturday April 8, 2017. The Gators lost to 3-2 in 10 innings to lose the weekend series.
Brad McClenny/Staff PhotographerPublished: Saturday, April 8, 2017 at 10:40 p.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, April 8, 2017 at 10:40 p.m.
Florida has hit another rocky stretch to an up-and-down baseball season.
Facts
Sunday
Who: Tennessee (17-11, 3-8 SEC) vs. No. 7 Florida (20-11, 5-6)
When: 1 p.m.
Where: McKethan Stadium
TV: SEC Network
Radio: 103.7-FM
Pitching matchup: UT TBA vs. UF RHP Jackson Kowar (4-0, 2.40 ERA)The Gators lost their second straight extra-inning contest, falling 3-2 to Tennessee in 10 innings before 5,776 at McKethan Stadium on Saturday night
On Friday, poor starting pitching was to blame in a 7-6, 10-inning loss to the Volunteers. On Saturday, a series of baserunning blunders doomed Florida (20-11, 5-6 SEC).
"The biggest mistakes we made were probably on the basepaths tonight," Florida coach Kevin O'Sullivan said.
It began in the second inning, when left fielder Ryan Larson failed to advance from first to third on a hit-and-run single by Christian Hicks. Had Larson advanced to third, he would have scored on a sharp single by designated hitter Mark Kolozsvary. Instead, Kolozsvary's hit loaded the bases, and Tennessee was able to get out of the inning when UF freshman first baseman Garrett Milchin grounded into a double play.
"I turned around and didn't pick up the ball," Larson said when asked why he held up at second.
Then, in the fifth inning, with the Gators up 2-1, sophomore second baseman Blake Reese got a late jump off second on a bloop single to right by Nelson Maldonado. Reese initially ran through third base coach Craig Bell's stop sign. When Reese tried to hold up a third of the way down the third base line, he slipped and was tagged out at third when the throw from Vols right fielder Dom Thornton came in behind him.
"Obviously you want to check your outfield depth before you take your lead and we didn't do that," O'Sullivan said.
Then, in the seventh inning, shortstop Dalton Guthrie was doubled off second base on a soft line drive to shortstop by Maldonado.
Florida held three starters -- catcher/designated hitter JJ Schwarz, second baseman Deacon Liput and third baseman Jonathan India -- out of the lineup for violation of team rules. O'Sullivan said all three will return for Sunday's series finale.
With an inexperienced lineup, Florida still held a 2-1 lead going into the sixth inning on an RBI triple by Kolozsvary and a RBI single by Milchin in a two-run fourth inning. But the Vols came back to tie the score in the sixth off UF starter Brady Singer when Justin Ammons laced an RBI triple to right field. Singer, vying for his third straight complete game, allowed two runs on six hits in 7.1 innings with eight strikeouts.
"He pitched well enough to get the win tonight," O'Sullivan said.
With the score tied at 2, Florida loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Larson hit a long fly to the right-center field gap, but center fielder Brodie Leftridge chased it down, forcing extra innings. It was that kind of a night for the Gators. Florida had 11 hits, but left 12 runners on base.
Florida closer Michael Byrne (1-5) took the loss in the 10th as catcher Benito Santiago (the son of the former Major League catcher with the same name) laced the go-ahead RBI double in the left-center field gap. Tennessee closer John Lipinski (3-0) retired the Gators in order in the bottom of the 10th to lift the Vols (17-11, 3-8 SEC) to their second straight win after entering the series losers of three straight and nine of their last 12 games.
"We've won our fair share of one-run games and now we've lost a couple in a row," O'Sullivan said. "All we can do is just come back tomorrow and play a little bit better and get back to .500 in the league. We've only played 31 games, we've got a lot of baseball left. It's frustrating. But we just have to come back tomorrow and be ready to play."
Added Larson: "We've got to bear down and take the last game of the series. We can't get swept at home. All hands on deck."
Contact Kevin Brockway at 352-374-5054 or kevin.brockway@gvillesun.com. Also check out Brockway's blog at Gatorsports.com.
Sent From Shane's iPhoneGo Gators! & Skål Vikes!ALPCA #8756Europlate #1045
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GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY!
1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions |
Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007)
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