Gators win series with Georgia; did they punch their NCAA ticket?

Cade Kurland (4) greeted at home after game-clinching homer vs. Georgia (UAA Photo)

Okay, so maybe Florida’s pitching left a teensy bit to be desired Saturday afternoon in Athens. Well, actually, it was atrocious, but at least this time it didn’t exactly bite the Gators in the butt.

Georgia scored 11 runs Saturday. Florida scored 12 – in the fourth inning alone – and 19 for the entire game to win the series with the 9th-ranked Bulldogs (39-14, 17-13 SEC). In winning their first SEC series since March 31 when they took two-of-three from Mississippi State in Gainesville, Florida (28-26, 13-17 SEC) might have kept alive its string of 17 consecutive seasons in the NCAA Tournament.

The win Saturday assures the Gators of a winning record when the NCAA announces the 64-team field at the conclusion of all the conference tournaments. The Gators head to Hoover as the No. 9 seed for the SEC Tournament where they will face Vanderbilt (35-20, 13-17 SEC) at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. If the Gators get past Vanderbilt, they will face No. 1 seed Tennessee (46-10, 22-8 SEC) Wednesday when the tournament goes double elimination.

With a guaranteed winning regular season and the nation’s No. 1 strength of schedule, most experts believe Florida will make the NCAA field although the Gators will certainly be on the road.

The way things started out Saturday it seemed the only guarantee would be that Florida stayed home. Jac Caglianone struggled with his control, walking four while giving up three hits and three runs in the first 2-1/3 innings. He was bailed out in the third by Fisher Jameson, who left the bases loaded without giving up a run.

The Gators couldn’t touch Georgia starter Zach Harris in the first three innings. Harris set down all nine hitters he faced and seemed to be on cruise control until Florida turned the lineup over. Ashton Wilson led off the fourth with a single through the right side of the infield and Caglianone took out his frustrations on the mound by launching his 29th home run over the scoreboard in right field. A Colby Shelton triple off the wall in center field and a Luke Heyman ground out tied the score at 3-3.

Florida took the lead for good when Cade Kurland hit the first of his two homers for the day, an opposite field job to right field that sent Harris to the showers. On came Josh Roberge, who gave up three runs although he did record an out. Roberge gave up a double to left by Tyler Shelnut, then hit Brody Donay with a pitch before getting Dale Thomas to fly out. Then the bottom fell out. Michael Robertson singled to score Shelnut and Wilson followed with his second hit of the inning, a double to left that gave the Gators a 6-4 lead. Caglianone was walked intentionally but when Shelton coaxed a full count walk to load the bases, Roberge was yanked in favor of Chandler Marsh.

Marsh promptly gave up a 3-run double into the left field alley and then hit Kurland with the next pitch. Shelnut hit his second double of the inning, driving home two to close out the scoring.

From a 3-0 hole, the Gators were up 12-3 where the score stayed until the seventh when the Gators scored two off of Georgia’s Matthew Hoskins. A single by Shelnut, a walk to Donay, a sacrifice bunt by Thomas and a single up the middle by Robertson stretched Florida’s lead to 14-3.

Jameson had been on cruise control until the bottom of the seventh when he gave up a walk, a single and a run-scoring double. Ryan Slater came on and should have gotten out of the inning without further damage but a one-out error scored another run. Slater got a pop fly to shallow right field for what should have been the final out, but a run-scoring single  followed to cut the margin to 14-6.

Florida countered with two in the top of the eighth to move ahead 16-6. Shelton was hit by a pitch, Heyman singled and Kurland walked to load the bases. Georgia brought on Brandt Pancer but his first pitch drilled Shelnut in the back, driving home Shelton. A Donay ground out scored Heyman.

Slater gave up two homers, a double and a run-scoring single in the bottom of the eighth before he was replaced by Jake Clemente. A single, a passed ball and a 2-run double forced a Florida pitching change. Cade Fisher got the Gators out of the inning with a ground out, but the score was 16-11 and Georgia fans thought a miracle was in the works.

However, in the Florida ninth, two walks and a 2-out homer to right by Kurland made it 19-11. In the Georgia half of the inning Fisher gave up a 1-out single but got an around-the-horn double play grounder to end the game.

Gator notes: Caglianone’s home run was the 69th of his career. He is fourth in SEC history, five behind third place Matt LaPorta … Jameson got the win, improving to 4-0 on the season … In his last five games, Heyman his hit five home runs while driving in 13 … The Gators have hit 115 home runs this season … Florida’s team ERA is 6.26.

Saturday’s scores

FLORIDA (28-26, 13-17 SEC) 19, No. 9 Georgia (39-14, 17-13 SEC) 11

No. 1 Tennessee (46-10, 22-8) 4, No. 24 South Carolina (33-21, 13-17 SEC) 1

Vanderbilt (35-20, 13-17 SEC) 12, No. 2 Kentucky (39-12, 22-8 SEC) 4

No. 5 Texas A&M (44-11, 19-11 SEC) 14, No. 3 Arkansas (43-12, 20-10 SEC) 4

Missouri (22-32, 9-21 SEC) 4, No. 16 Mississippi State (36-19, 17-13 SEC) 3

Alabama (33-21, 13-17 SEC) 12, Auburn (27-26, 8-22 SEC) 5

LSU (36-20, 13-17 SEC) 9, Ole Miss (27-28, 11-19 SEC) 3

RPI top 25: 1. Texas A&M 44-11; 2. Arkansas 43-12; 3. Kentucky 39-12; 4. North Carolina 41-12; 5. Tennessee 46-10; 6. Georgia 39-14; 7. Clemson 40-13; 8. Florida State 39-14; 9. Indiana State 39-11; 10. UC-Santa Barbara 38-12; 11. Wake Forest 36-19; 12. Virginia 40-14; 13. Oregon State 41-13; 14. North Carolina State 32-19; 15. Oklahoma 34-18; 16. East Carolina 40-13; 17. Oklahoma State 36-16; 17. Alabama 33-21; 19. South Carolina 33-21; 20. Duke 35-18; 21. Dallas Baptist 40-13; 22. San Diego 37-13; 23. Mississippi State 36-19; 24. FLORIDA 28-26; 25. UC-Irvine 40-11