Pierce Coppola finally gets to show what he can really do

Pierce Coppola struck out 12 in five innings Saturday (UAA Photo)

It must have seemed like old times for Pierce Coppola Saturday afternoon. Finally.

One of the top pitching prospects in the country out of high school back in 2022, Coppola spent 2-1/2 seasons battling injuries and coming back from surgery before getting in some important innings during Florida’s run to the College World Series last year. Saturday at Condron Family Ball Park, the 6-8 lefty looked every bit the prospect he was out of Verona, New Jersey. Coupling a low-90s fast ball that moved plenty with good command of his off-speed stuff, Coppola went five 1-hit innings, striking out 12 while walking one and hitting one batter. He even made the defensive play of the game in the top of the fifth when Air Force tried to squeeze in a run. Coming off the mound he scooped up the bunt with his glove and flipped to catcher Luke Heyman who made the tag for out two. Coppola put the finishing touches on the inning with a called third strike for the final out.

With Coppola giving the Gators their third quality start in three games, the 10th-ranked Gators earned an 11-1 win for a sweep of Air Force. Earlier in the day, the Gators launched four home runs to take the first game of the afternoon doubleheader, 10-4.

“I'm not sure I've ever seen him so comfortable on the mound and confident and pitch with aggressiveness,” Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “I'm not quite sure I've even seen that in the preseason. He's been good in the preseason, but I haven't seen him strut around and feel good about himself. He's worked so hard to get back to this point.

No one's a bigger fan for him than I am. I've known exactly what he has had to go through, two major surgeries. He made a heck of a PFP play. The one that was hit off his foot and then regrouped and made a good throw, and then the play at home was a good play. A really good play. We obviously work on it, but it's one thing to work on it and then another thing to actually execute in a game."

Coppola had reason to strut off the field in the first inning. He struck out the side on 13 pitches, all three of the Ks swinging third strikes. He struck out the side again in the fourth and registered at least two Ks in every inning.

It wasn’t until the fifth that Air Force got its first hit, a triple off the left center field wall that barely eluded the glove of Blake Cyr. After a strikeout, Coppola hit a batter, putting runners on first and third. Since it was just a 2-0 game at the time, Air Force went small ball and tried to squeeze in the run, but Coppola got off the mound quickly, scooped the ball with his gloved hand and in one motion got the ball to Heyman for an easy out at home. Coppola finished off the Falcons with a rally-snuffing called third strike.

The way Coppola was throwing, it wasn’t going to take much support. In the bottom of the fourth, red hot Brody Donay, who homered Friday night with a laser that cut through a stiff wind and Saturday with a moon shot off the green monster in dead center, made it three long balls in three games for a 1-0 lead. The Gators added a run on an infield single by Brendan Lawson, a stolen base, a ground out and a passed ball.

Then came the bottom of the fifth, which was almost a reward for Coppola. The Gators scored seven runs, sending 11 men to the plate on seven hits, two walks and an Air Force throwing error. Once again it was Donay who got things going, this time with an RBI single. The carnage continued with a Blake Cyr RBI single, a 2-run single by Jacksonville transfer Justin Nadeau, a 2-run double by Hayden Yost and an RBI double by Bobby Boser.  

O’Sullivan turned the game over to freshman Aidan King in the sixth. He gave up a run on two hits, but did strike out the side. With a 9-1 lead, the Gators needed two runs in the bottom of the sixth and a hold in the seventh for a run-rule. After Donay was walked intentionally Lawson hit a run-scoring double that barely missed leaving the yard. After Cyr was hit by a pitch Nadeau doubled down the left field line to score Lawson to make it a 10-run deficit.

The final three outs were recorded by Santa Fe College transfer Matthew Jenkins, who struck out two of the three hitters he faced to end the game.  

In taking out Air Force 10-4 in game one, the Gators got home runs from Landon Stripling, Colby Shelton, Bobby Boser and Brody Donay plus a 4-hit game from Hayden Yost to back a combined 6-hitter by Jake Clemente and Luke McNeillie.

Stripling, a transfer from Texas Tech, hit his first homer as a Gator to open the scoring in the second inning. Later in the inning, Yost picked up an RBI when he singled in Donay, who had reached on a single and stolen second.

In the fourth, Yost doubled to right center and Ashton Wilson was hit by a pitch. The Gators pulled off a double steal with Wilson taking second and Yost racing home to make it 3-0. Shelton followed with his first homer of the season.

An inning later, Stripling led off with a single and Donay hit a towering blast off the green monster in center field for his second home run of the season. A walk to Brendan Lawson, a single by Yost and a walk to Blake Cyr loaded up the bases for Shelton, who drove home Lawson with a sacrifice fly to left. Boser finished off the scoring with an RBI single to center that scored Yost.

Boser delivered his first home run as a Gator in the seventh when he hit the first pitch he saw over the wall in right center to finish the scoring for UF.

Clemente had a rough second inning when he gave up three runs on only one hit. A hit batter, an error, a sacrifice fly and a fielder’s choice gave Air Force a brief 3-2 lead. Otherwise, Clemente was in command. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out eight in a 77-pitch, 6-inning outing.

McNeillie went the last three, giving up an eighth inning run on a home run that barely eluded the glove of Wilson, who almost brought the ball back into the park. McNeillie gave up three hits but didn’t walk a batter and struck out six.

One night after O’Sullivan lamented poor baserunning in game one of the series, the Gators came back to steal nine with Yost accounting for three while Boser and Wilson each had two.

AIR FORCE SERIES NOTES: The Gators got three consecutive quality starts in which the pitching staff held Air Force to five runs and four hits while striking out 46 in 25 innings. The Gators walked only three and hit three batters … Through his first three games, Donay is hitting .700 with two doubles, three homers and five RBI … Hayden Yost went 4-5 with two doubles in game one and 2-4 with two RBI in game two. He is hitting .667 with three doubles and three RBI … Next up for the Gators is Jacksonville on the road Tuesday night with a return home Wednesday against Florida A&M.

Shortstop Rylee Holtorff makes a throw across the diamond (UAA PhotoO

UF SOFTBALL: GATORS IMPROVE TO 13-0The No. 1 Gators improved to 13-0 on the season with a pair of Saturday wins in the Bubly Invitational at Katie Seashole Presly Stadium. The Gators took the first game, 3-0, behind the 4-hit pitching of Keagan Rothrock. Florida got a 10-2 run-rule win over Binghamton in game two as Cassidy McClellan drove in four runs, three on her first home run of the season.

Rothrock (6-0) went the full seven innings against Boston College, needing just 56 pitches to mow down the Eagles. She struck out five and didn’t walk a batter.

The Gators gave Rothrock all the support she needed in the third when Rylee Holtorf followed a Mia Williams single with an RBI double to left center. The Gators added two insurance runs in the fifth on consecutive singles by Williams, Holtorff and Kendra Falby, a BC error and a sacrifice fly by Korbe Otis.

Ava Brown (3-0) and Kara Hammmock combine to pitch a 5-hitter against Binghamton. Brown went the first three innings, allowing three hits and only one earned run. She walked one and struck out two. Hammock pitched the fourth and fifth, giving up a hit and an unearned run.

In the bottom of the first, Taylor Shumaker reached on a fielder’s choice and Williams followed with a single. After a double steal, Brown walked to load the bases. Freshman Layla Lamar singled in Shumaker and Williams, after which Lamar and Brown pulled off a double steal with Brown scoring on the play. McClellan singled to score Lamar with the fourth run of the inning.

In the second, Falby singled, stole second and scored on a single by Shumaker. It was Shumaker’s 24th RBI of the season.

Florida added three in the third on a walk to Brown, a bunt single by Lamar and McClellan’s homer to right center. The Gators closed out the scoring in the fifth when McClellan reached on an error, moved to second on a single to right by Gaby Cormia followed by RBI singles by Kenleigh Cahalan and Otis.

Due to weather concerns the Gators will play a Sunday morning doubleheader, facing Binghamton at 9:30 and 14th-ranked Duke immediately after.