Gators Snap Texas A&M's 16-Game Winning Streak, 8-6

Perhaps a few eyebrows raised when Kevin O’Sullivan sent closer Brandon Neely to the mound to start the seventh inning against 4th-ranked and unbeaten Texas A&M. Wasn’t it way too early send in the All-American closer with three innings to go and 8th-ranked Florida clinging to a 7-6 lead? 

To O’Sullivan, the move made perfect sense.

“I’m tired of losing, honestly,” O’Sullivan said after the 8th-ranked Gators (11-6, 1-0 SEC) took an 8-6 win on the opening night of Southeastern Conference play for both teams. Neely shut the Aggies (16-1, 0-1 SEC) down on one hit while striking out three for his first save of the season. With games on Saturday (6:30 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.), the Gators only need a split to take the series and with Jac Caglianone scheduled to go on Sunday, there’s every reason to feel confident that Florida will win at least one more.

“We’ve got arguably our best arm (Neely), we have not been able to use him as much as we’ve needed to,” O’Sullivan said. “There’s nothing worse than losing a game in a tight game and you’re sitting over there, you make one mistake. What’s the difference for the seventh, eighth and ninth vs. the eighth and ninth if Neely gives you the best opportunity to win knowing that you have Caglianone sitting there on Sunday?”

Caglianone, who made his presence felt in a big way with his sixth and seventh home runs of the season, has pitched a combined 12 shutout innings, allowing just three hits and striking out 20 in his previous two outings. Freshman Liam Peterson will be the starter today.

The closer the next two games is likely to be Ryan Slater, who normally sets up for Neely. Who sets up for Slater is anyone’s guess. O’Sullivan wasn’t really sure himself Friday night, but that was a gamble he was willing to take to give the Gators a confidence boost they sorely needed, especially after the way UF lost to Florida State back on Tuesday.

Neely came on in relief of starter Cade Fisher, who threw five brilliant innings and one he would like to have back against the Aggies. With the exception of a rough second inning, Fisher was the effective, dominant lefty that O’Sullivan envisioned when the season started. He had a bad second. There’s no way to get around that. The Aggies scored five runs, three on a 2-out homer to center field by Gavin Grahovac that put A&M in front 5-2. Fisher left a pitch out over the plate in the fourth that Jackson Apell sent flying over the fence in left center to tie the game at 6-6.

Otherwise, Fisher was very effective. His six innings of work showed six hits and six runs allowed but he struck out 10 and walked only one. Other than the second, Fisher gave up one run and three hits.

“I mean he could've easily gotten a little rattled there after the second,” O’Sullivan said. “Next four innings gave up one run, that being the home run to Apell. I thought he pitched great other than that second inning, so if we can continue to talk about these things about the beginning and the rebound runs and that type of thing, then we will be that much better. But with that being said, he put the second inning behind him, put up a zero in third, fourth, gave up the solo home run to Appel and then got us through six innings and I thought he got stronger as the game went on. And then Brandon came in and did exactly what he would hope he would do ..."

Neely allowed only one hit and hit a batter, but he pitched his way out of an eighth inning jam and set the Aggies down 1-2-3 in the ninth to preserve the win.  

While the Aggies struggled to get any offensive traction other than the second, the Gators were launching five home runs, two in the third off lefty Ryan Prager, who came into the game 4-0 with a perfect 0.00 ERA. Caglianone ended Prager’s 23-2/3 innings scoreless streak in the first when he took a 2-2 pitch out of the yard in dead center field, just beyond the reach of Jace LaViolette. Later in the inning, Colby Shelton singled to right field and scored on a double to left center by Ty Evans.

The Aggies led 5-2 when Caglianone hammered the first pitch he saw from Prager while leading off the bottom of the third. This was a titanic blast and all LaViolette could do is turn to watch the sub-orbital shot come down from the stratosphere, well past the 20-foot high green monster in center field just beyond the outfield fence. Four batters later, Tyler Shelnut launched his seventh homer of the season, a 3-run shot that scored Luke Heyman and Colby Shelton ahead of him.  That regained the lead temporarily at 6-5.

Insurance came in the sixth on Cade Kurland’s third homer of the season and in the seventh on Shelton’s 10th, an opposite field line drive that bounced off the roof of the Aggies’ left field bullpen.

UF GYMNASTICS: Gators give seniors a going away to remember

It was Senior Night at the O-Dome where another sellout crowd saw the Gators (17-1, 6-1 SEC) win a quad meet over North Carolina State, Iowa State and Long Island University. The Gators posted a 197.90, easily distancing them from NC State (196.825), Iowa State (195,825) and Long Island (192.025),

Leanne Wong won the only event she competed in, a 9.975 on the bars that one of the two judges saw as a 10. Freshman Skylar Draser won the vault with a 9.95 and Alyssa Arana and Sloane Blakely were in a three-way logjam for the balance beam title with a 9.925. Blakely won the all-around title with a 39.625.

It was the 200th win of Jenny Rowland’s coaching career. Next up for the Gators is the Southeastern Conference Championships in New Orleans next Saturday night.

UF SOFTBALL: Kowalewski’s HR, 5 RBI pace run-rule win

Freshman Ariel Kowalewski drove in five runs with a ground out, a double and a home run Friday night to lead the 10th-ranked Gators (23-4) to a 10-2 run-rule win over Mercer. Kowalewski’s grounder to shortstop in the second drove in Katie Kistler to tie the score at 2-2. She hit a 2-run homer in the fifth and hit a 2-run double in the sixth when the Gators closed out the Bears with a 5-run outburst.

Keagan Rothrock (10-3, 0.95 ERA) went the distance for the Gators, allowing only two hits and striking out 11 while walking five.

The Gators will host Indiana for single games today (2:30 p.m.) and Sunday (11 a.m.).

UF MEN’S GOLF: Gators fire opening round -11 at Schenkel Invitational

Florida’s third lowest round of the season (-11, 277) tied Middle Tennessee State for the team lead at the annual Chris Schenkel Invitational in Statesboro, Georgia. Parker Bell had two eagles en route to a 5-under par 67 that tied him for third. Matthew Kress was tied for sixth with a 69.

Team leaderboard, top 10: 1. (Tie) FLORIDA and Middle Tennessee State 277; 3. Kentucky 281; 4. (Tie) Notre Dame and Florida Gulf Coast 283; 6. (Tie) Mississippi State and Georgia Southern 286; 8. Wisconsin 288; 9. South Carolina 289; 10. Campbell 290.  

UF TENNIS: Gator women get second straight win over ranked opponent

The Gators (7-7, 3-2 SEC) took a 4-1 win over 13th-ranked Auburn Friday afternoon at the Ring Tennis Complex. On the road at Auburn, the Florida men (8-7, 2-3 SEC) weren’t nearly as fortunate, dropping a 4-1 decision to Auburn.

The Florida women host Alabama Sunday while the UF men are in Tuscaloosa to face Alabama.