Wildcats No Match for Mighty Gators, Fall 10-3 on Thursday
Florida entered Thursday’s series opener ranked fourth in the country, currently sitting as a two seed in the SEC Tournament. The Gators showed just how explosive their offense can be, garnering 13 hits and 10 runs in a 10-3 victory over Kentucky on Thursday night. The top of Florida’s lineup (Kurland, Langford, Caglianone) combined for seven hits and three RBI, setting an electric pace for the bottom of the lineup. BT Riopelle benefited greatly from the set-up men, knocking in four RBI of his own.
“I give the top of their lineup a lot of credit,” Coach Mingione said after the game. “That’s where most of their damage comes from. When you face these teams, you see really deep lineups. That’s exactly the case for them.”
Travis Smith got the start for the ‘Cats and had yet another rough start, allowing five runs over six innings pitched. The Wildcat pitching staff (especially the bullpen) must hone things in before postseason play begins next week or it could be an early exit for the Wildcats. Zack Lee, who has been Kentucky’s most reliable pitcher this season, will take the mound in tomorrow’s game.
With the loss, Kentucky sits pat as the six seed in next week’s SEC Tournament. The ‘Cats can fall all the way to a potential eight seed if they get swept this weekend. A win on Friday or Saturday is crucial in keeping a high SEC Tournament seed or keeping the dream of hosting a Regional alive and well.
Star Power Shines for Gators
The Gators go where their star players take them, and their star players started out hot in this one. Cade Kurland was quickly walked by Travis Smith, putting a runner on base for Wyatt Langford. Jac Caglianone has been the story of Florida’s season so far, and for good reason. Cags leads College Baseball in homers hit and pumps 100 on the mound. Langford however has had a great junior campaign, batting .400 with 14 homers hit. Langford was projected to go third overall in the 2023 MLB Draft in Bleacher Report’s latest mock. Langford immediately showed his prowess, smoking a double to the right field wall to drive in a quick Florida run.
He was followed up by the sophomore sensation Caglianone, who singled up the middle to score Langford from second. Travis Smith was off to a shaky start for the second outing in a row. Smith would rebound nicely however, as he no-hit the Gators through the next four frames. The ‘Cats quickly trailed 2-0 in this one.
Here Come the ‘Cats
Florida’s Hurston Waldrep cruised through the first two innings, allowing just one hit. Waldrep is Bleacher Report’s 15th ranked draft prospect. The bottom of the third inning started off on the wrong foot for the future pro, as Waldrep failed to hold onto an underhand toss from Caglianone at first. This allowed Chase Stanke to reach on an error. Stanke advanced all the way to third thanks to a sac-bunt and a ground out, bringing Émilien Pitre to bat. Pitre smacked a chopper to Caglianone at first that hung in the air forever. Petey was able to beat out the infield single, allowing Stanke to score from third.
After cutting the deficit in half in the third, the ‘Cats knotted things up at two apiece in the fourth. Jase Felker started off the inning with a double up the middle, quickly advancing to third on a passed ball. James McCoy, who has raised his average nearly 40 points since the South Carolina series, skied a deep flyball into center field, allowing Felker to trot home to tie things up at two apiece. This one would be tied through five, until the Gators broke through in the top of the sixth inning.
Sixth Inning Sinks ‘Cats
Travis Smith trotted back out to the mound to start the sixth, but was quickly pulled after giving up back-to-back doubles to start the inning. Ryder Giles, who has been great for Kentucky as of late, struggled mightily. On just the second pitch thrown, Josh Rivera singled up the middle, scoring Langford from third. BT Riopelle was up next and turned on the first pitch he saw, roping a double down the right field line. Two more Florida runs scored, effectively ending Ryder’s day. Evan Byers took over for Giles and allowed yet another run thanks to a Luke Heyman RBI-single. Suddenly, this game went from 2-2 to 7-2. It’s amazing how quickly things can change in the sport of college baseball.
The ‘Cats would respond in the bottom of the inning, scoring one run on a Grant Smith solo home run. The lead was cut to four runs, but the Gators would quickly extend their lead back out. The bases were quickly loaded by the Gators in the top of the seventh thanks to back-to-back singles and a five pitch walk. Josh Rivera earned his second RBI of the day, grounding out to first which scored Kurland from third. Riopelle notched his third and fourth RBI of the game in the next at-bat, roping a two-run single to center field. A Kentucky crowd of 3,021 was quickly deflated.
Gators Take Game One of Series
Florida’s Ryan Slater pitched the final three innings in this one, earning a rare seven-run victory save. Slater allowed just three hits and no earned runs in his frames.
Game two of the weekend series is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. EST on Friday night. Plan on getting to Kentucky Proud Park, as Senior Day festivities are scheduled to begin around 5:57 p.m. EST. Kentucky falls to 35-16 (15-13) on the season with the loss, as Florida improves to 41-12 (19-9) with the win.
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