Gator Baseball: One Bad Inning Can Spoil A Really Good Game

All they could is watch as Razorbacks silenced Gator bats (UAA Photo)

The Gators made an uncharacteristic four errors on the day. They allowed two earned runs to the #5 team in the nation.

By EDDIE GILLEY

GatorBaitMedia.com

There is an old adage in baseball that goes something like, “Momentum is only as good as today’s starting pitcher.” 

After the Gators defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks 6-4 on Friday night, both teams entered the Saturday afternoon game looking for a good starter  on the mound with a good start.

Florida pitcher Aidan King entered the game with a 4-1 record while Arkansas countered with hard-throwing Gage Wood, who  went three complete innings and was pulled after 42 pitches while only giving up one hit.

King gave up one hit in the first, a walk in the second, and then retired the next five Hog batters. King gave up two singles in the fourth but managed to get out of the inning without giving up a run.

Gabe Gaeckle took the mound in the fourth for the visitors and picked up right where Wood left off. 

Then in the top of the fifth, one play spoiled an otherwise great outing for King. He hit the eight hole hitter with a 2-2 fastball. He got ahead of the next batter 0-2. 

Then the play that spoiled the game happened. The ninth guy in the Hog lineup hit what looked like a sure double play to normally sure-handed Gator third baseman, Bobby Boser. However in turning to throw to second, the ball slipped out of Bobby’s baseball hand for his second error of the season. 

A sac bunt followed and gave the visitors runners at second and third with one out. Florida opted to intentionally walk the first of the Aloy brothers to load the bases. The other Aloy in the lineup, singled through the left side to plate two runners, both of whom should not have been on base. 

The cleanup hitter for the Hogs lifted a long fly ball to score the third run on a sac fly. Brent Iredale’s ground rule double plated Aloy with the fourth run of the inning. The Gators brought in Jackson Barberi from the bullpen. 

Arkansas sent up Cam Kozeal to pinch hit. And just like déjà vu, he homered to right field as he did Friday night to give the Razorbacks a 6-0 lead. They would tack on another run on a sac fly in the eight but it really didn’t matter as the Gators could not get the timely hit they needed to break up the shutout. 

Gaeckle was effective  as he only allowed one hit in his 3.1 innings to get the win. Florida had a run taken off the board in the bottom of the eighth inning when Boser was originally called safe at home on a Stripling double, but was called out after a review.

King deserved a better fate. The Gators made an uncharacteristic four errors on the day. They allowed two earned runs to the #5 team in the nation. 

Unfortunately, the momentum of greater pitching was in the visitors’ third base dugout on Saturday. Gator fans hope that one play doesn’t spoil another really good  game.