Pitching Continues to be a Very Big Problem for 4th-ranked Gators

Photo credit UAA

Florida’s pitching, or lack of, was a problem once again Saturday afternoon when the Gators dropped game two of their weekend series with Saint Mary’s, 9-7, at Condron Family Ballpark. Six Florida pitchers combined to allow nine earned runs, 11 hits and four home runs Saturday. In two games so far against Saint Mary’s, Florida has allowed 20 runs, ballooning the team ERA to 6.02.

Starter Liam Peterson, staked to a 4-0 lead, cruised through the first three innings Saturday, shutting out the Gaels on a leadoff single. The Gators took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a run-scoring single by Ty Evans. In the second, Cade Kurland followed consecutive singles by Brody Donay and Jalen Guy with an opposite field homer to right, his second home run of the season.

Then the bottom fell out. Saint Mary’s cut Florida’s lead in half on one-out, back-to-back home runs by Nathan Chong and Brian Duroff. When Saint Mary’s got its first two runners on in the fifth thanks to a walk and a single, Peterson was lifted for Blake Purnell. Purnell gave up three hits, the most damaging a bases loaded infield single to third that Dale Thomas threw away, scoring all three runners for a 5-4 Saint Mary’s lead.  Grayson Smith came on for Purnell, allowing a run-scoring grounder that put Saint Mary’s up 6-4.

Florida struck back with Colby Shelton’s ninth home run to lead off the bottom of the fifth. The Gators took a 7-6 lead in the bottom of the sixth when Luke Heyman hit a 2-run homer, his fourth of the season, to left field.

When Alex Philpott gave up a leadoff homer to Coleman Schmidt in the seventh that tied the game at 7-7, he was replaced by Luke McNellie who promptly struck out the first batter he faced. Then came a walk to Chong and Duroff’s second homer of the game.

The Gators (9-5) close out the series with Saint Mary’s today at 1 p.m. (SEC Network+). Jac Caglianone is scheduled to get the start for UF.

UF TRACK AND FIELD: Valby’s distance double leads UF to runner-up finish

Parker Valby, the nation’s premier collegiate distance runner, pulled off the distance double at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Boston, winning the 3000 meters Saturday after setting a collegiate record to win the 5000 meters Friday night. Valby’s outstanding performance led the Florida women to a second place finish. The Florida men finished third.

Grace Stark produced a second place finish in the 60 meter hurdles and a sixth place finish in the 60 meter dash. Alida Van Daalen had a fifth place finish in the shot put.

On the men’s side, the 4X400 meter relay team of Jevaughn Powell, Robert Gregory, Jenoah McKiver and Reheem Hayles ran a 3:02.53 for a runner-up finish. Theirs was the third fastest time in the world this year. The Gators got a fifth place finish from Sean Dixon-Bodie in the triple jump, a seventh place finish from Parvej Khan in the mile, a fourth place finish from Wanya McCoy in the 60 meters and 200 meters, and a fourth place finish from JeVaughn Powell in the 400 meters.

NCAA women’s top 10 team finishes: 1. Arkansas 55; 2. FLORIDA 50; 3. Georgia 33; 4. Oregon 31; 5. Ole Miss 30; 6. LSU 29; 7. BYU 28; 8. (TIE) Oklahoma State and Southern California 27; 10. Notre Dame 26

NCAA men’s top 10 team finishes: 1. Texas Tech 50.5; 2. Arkansas 41; 3. FLORIDA 39; 4. Northern Arizona 31; 5. North Carolina 26; 6. Texas A&M 24; 7. (Tie) Oklahoma State and Southern California 23; 9. Iowa 21; 10. Washington 20

UF SOFTBALL: Rothrock shuts out Alabama on a 1-hitter

Freshman Keagan Rothrock extended her scoreless streak to 35-2/3 innings Saturday when she pitched a 1-hitter to lead 13th-ranked Florida to a 2-0 win over 11th-ranked Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Rothrock (9-2), who hasn’t allowed a run since February 19, has the longest scoreless innings streak for any Gator pitcher since Kelly Barnhill threw 37 consecutive scoreless innings in 2018.

Florida (20-3, 1-0 SEC) managed only three hits, but two of them came in the second when the Gators got the only runs they would need to take out Alabama (20-2, 0-1 SEC). After Jocelyn Erickson reached on an infield error, Reagan Walsh doubled her to third. Freshman Ava Brown followed with a hard single up the middle to drive in both runs.

Rothrock benefitted from three outstanding plays in the field. Center fielder Kendra Falby had an extra base hit-saving catch in the fourth, Mia Williams knocked down a ball heading up the middle and got it to Skylar Wallace at second for a force, and Erickson threw out Alabama’s Lauren Johnson trying to steal in the fifth. Erickson has gunned down seven of the eight runners trying to steal this year.

The Gators and Alabama will square off at 6 p.m. (SEC Network) this evening for game two of the 3-game series.