Florida baseball continued trending upward over the past week. The first bit of good news came Monday when the Gators entered the Collegiate Baseball weekly rankings at No. 29. It continued with a convincing 6-1 win over No. 5 ranked Florida State in front of a record home crowd on Tuesday. This weekend the Gators travel to Oxford to take on the Ole Miss Rebels in SEC play.
Florida 6, Florida State 1
Stephen Locke continued his mastery over No. 3 ranked Florida State throwing another gem of a game in the Gators 6-1 win Tuesday night at McKethan Stadium. The Gators (15-3, 3-0) will look to keep their seven game winning streak going heading into No. 8 ranked Ole Miss this weekend.
Behind a new McKethan Stadium record crowd of 5, 719 fans, Locke (2-0) shut down the high powered Seminoles offense lineup, which was averaging .300, and held them to just four hits in 5 1/3 scoreless innings.
"Any win against FSU is a good one," Locke said, ""When we started off, I didn't really have great stuff, but they hit ground balls and our guys made plays," Locke said. "We have been working hard at practice. Everyone sees us out here during games, but we spend hours and hours getting ready and preparing. The hard work has started to pay off a little bit, but we need to continue to play hard."
"We expect to beat them, especially in Gainesville. I got in trouble in the sixth but Josh (Edmonson) got me out of the jam. The key is getting ahead of the hitters early and letting things play out."
"All non-conference game are big, our goal is to get to the NCAA regionals and this is a big step towards getting there," Locke said.
Florida head coach Kevin O'Sullivan was pleased with his team's performance, Locke's accomplishment and the record crowd on hand.
"Anytime that you beat Florida State is a huge win," O'Sullivan said. "They are extremely well-coached and are a top-10 team year-in and year-out. They are always one of the top teams in the country, so I feel that anytime you can get a win against them you have to feel good. I feel good for our guys, they played good defense and battled out there.
"We still have two more games against them, but obviously that was a good win for us." This was big, our crowd was into and it fired up the guys, anytime you beat FSU it's a good win, feel good for our guys," O'Sullivan said.
"Tip my cap to Locke, outstanding job tonight," O'Sullivan said, "FSU is a great team their lineup was around .300 and had just came off sweeping Georgia Tech."
"That was great for the crowd to come out and support us like they did tonight," O'Sullivan continued. "I know that it fired up our guys. Hopefully, we can get more of these big crowds as we go."
Using virtually the same lineup he used in the final two games of the Auburn series, Sullivan had a inkling and scratched Clayton Pisani from the lineup and replaced him with senior Dustin Bamberg-the move paid off.
"I talked to the other assistant coaches before the game and I just had a hunch about Dustin, he has to good of a bat to not play," O'Sullivan said.
Bamberg responded in the second inning with his first home run as a Gator as with two down, he sent a 3-2 pitch from junior Bo O'Dell (1-1) over the bleachers in left field to give the Gators the early lead.
"We're something like 12-1 when we score first, getting ahead early takes the pressure off you, " O'Sullivan said, who became the first Gator head coach to win his initial encounter with FSU since Joe Arnold accomplished the feat in 1984.
UF held an 11-7 edge in hits, as eight of the nine starters chipped in at least one, and O'Sullivan's club did not commit any errors. The Seminoles left 11 men on base and were charged with three errors.
The Gators increased their lead to 2-0 in the home part of the fourth on a bases-loaded fielder's choice by senior Jon Townsend.
Freshman Josh Adams and McArthur began the stanza with back-to-back singles before O'Dell had sophomore catch Adams off second base but threw the ball into right field, enabling the runner to take third.
Bamberg drew a four-pitch free pass to fill the sacks and end the night for O'Dell (3.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R). Townsend's grounder off freshman reliever Geoff Parker drove in Adams and the righty rebounded to strike out sophomore Buddy Munroe (Miami, Fla.) to strand the pair of runners.
Locke worked his way out of a couple of jams and was also helped by Edmonson.
In the top of the third, freshman Luke Smierciak sliced a one-out single through the right side of the infield. However, Locke prevented further trouble by having freshman Tyler Holt ground into an inning-ending double play that was started by senior first baseman Brandon McArthur.
Sophomore Jason Stidham walked on four pitches to start the fourth before Locke induced a 4-6-3 double play by junior Buster Posey. The southpaw had junior Tony Delmonico fly out to right to end the frame.
FSU mounted a two-out threat in the fifth, as freshman Mike McGee singled and Tapley reached on a fielder's choice. The Gators escaped unscathed when Munroe threw out Tapley attempting to steal second on a wild pitch to close the frame.
Smierciak led off the sixth with a single to center and Holt walked before Locke had Stidham fly out to right field. Senior Josh Edmondson came out of the bullpen to relieve Locke (5.1 IP. 4 H, 3 K, 2 BB) and walked Buster Posey to load the bases. The righty caught Delmonico looking on strikes and had Guinn hit a comebacker to the mound, forcing Smierciak at home, to keep the Seminoles off the board.
FSU filled the bases again in the seventh but was denied when sophomore Tony Davis had Stidham watch strike three. Junior Tommy Oravetz walked to start things off and Tapley stroked a one-out double for two runners in scoring position. Edmondson had Smierciak ground to Townsend for the second out but issued a walk to Holt to fill the bases. Davis was summoned from the bullpen and notched his third K of the year to preserve UF's lead.
Sophomore Kyle Mullaney entered the game with the bases loaded in the eighth and recorded the final four outs to collect his second save.
Guinn roped an RBI double with one down in the eighth off sophomore right-hander Clint Franklin to score Buster Posey from first base to narrow the gap to 4-1. A two-out walk to sophomore Ohmed Danesh enabled the Seminoles to have runners on first and third before Franklin plunked Tapley to fill the sacks. Mullaney had senior pinch hitter Jack Rye pop up to Figueroa to close the inning.
"Big win for our team, big win for the team and fans, hopefully we can carry it on to Ole Miss," Avery Barnes said.
Florida added two runs in the bottom of the inning on a bases-loaded walk to Adams and a fielder's choice by McArthur to build a 4-0 advantage. Junior Avery Barnes 10-game hitting streak) and sophomore Matt den Dekker (12-game hitting streak) had consecutive base hits before sophomore Cole Figueroa reached on a fielding error by senior first baseman Dennis Guinn.
Adams followed with a walk for a three-run margin and McArthur's grounder to short brought in den Dekker. Figueroa was later picked off third and Pigott flew out to hold the Seminoles' deficit at four runs.
The Gators tacked on a pair of insurance runs on three hits to seize a 6-1 lead in the bottom of the stanza. Pigott led off with a walk and was sacrificed to second by Bamberg. Townsend delivered an RBI single into left center to score Pigott and Munroe followed with a base-hit for two men aboard.
Barnes collected his third hit of the night with a single off freshman Ryan Vigue to plate Townsend with Florida's final run of the evening.
Game Notes
Florida improved to 12-1 when scoring first…Tonight's attendance of 5,719 surpassed the previous mark of 5,698 set during Game 2 of the 2005 NCAA Super Regional against Florida State…The Gators ended a two-game slide at home to the Seminoles and have now captured four of the last meetings with FSU…Twelve of Florida's 20 home runs this season have come with two outs…In his three starts this season, Stephen Locke has allowed only three runs…The last time Florida held the Seminoles to one run or less was in Game 1 of the 2005 NCAA Super Regional (8-1, June 10)...After registering zero saves in their first 15 games, the Gators have collected three in a row.
Coming Up: Ole Miss
Florida hopes to carry that confidence over to Oxford this weekend to play Ole Miss, someone the Gators haven't had recent success against.
Since 2000, the Gators are just 6-12 against the Rebels, with its lone series win being in 2002 in Gainesville. In their last meeting in 2005, the Rebels took 2 of 3 in Oxford and 2 of 3 in the SEC tournament. Ole Miss took 2 of 3 in Gainesville in 2000, swept Florida at home in 2001 and 2003 and also swept Florida in Gainesville in 2004.
Florida has started SEC play 3-0 for the first time since 2002 by defeating Auburn three times (7-1, 12-8, 6-2) at McKethan Stadium and joins Kentucky and Tennessee atop the Eastern Division standings.
Meanwhile, Ole Miss claimed its first two meetings at Mississippi State (15-6, 11-6), before dropping the finale, 4-0.
The series between the Gators and Rebels is deadlocked at 37 wins apiece. However, UM holds a 23-14 edge in Oxford and has claimed eight of the last 10 meetings.
Sophomore right-hander Billy Bullock (2-2, 2.78) will start game one Friday at 7:30 p.m. live on FSN Florida against Ole Miss junior right-hander Lance Lynn (4-0, 1.23).
Bullock collected his first-ever SEC victory last Friday night by limiting Auburn to one run on five hits over 6.1 innings and matched his career high of six strikeouts.
In a matchup of right-handers on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. live on FSN Florida, junior Patrick Keating (2-0, 2.41) will face Rebel junior Cody Satterwhite (2-0, 4.50). Keating worked five innings in his last outing, a 12-8 triumph over Auburn, in which he scattered seven hits and permitted one run.
Sunday's series finale at 1p.m. will feature rookie righty Tommy Toledo (3-0, 2.14) opposing Ole Miss sophomore left-hander Nathan Baker (1-2, 4.19). Toledo has worked at least five innings in each of his four starts and helped the Gators complete the sweep of the Tigers on Sunday afternoon by surrendering two hits and zero runs over a career-high six frames.
Sophomore center fielder Matt den Dekker (.311, 19 runs, 15 RBI) enters the weekend on a career-high 12-game hitting streak in which he is batting .340 (17-for-50) with 16 runs and nine RBI. Junior left fielder Avery Barnes (.424, 23 runs, nine stolen bases) has at least one hit in a personal-best 10-consecutive games, a 15-for-33 (.455) span.
After a .727 (8-for-11) beginning to league activity, freshman second baseman Josh Adams (.393, 22 RBI, five doubles, four homers) looks for another strong weekend. Sophomore shortstop Cole Figueroa is hitting .354 and leads the Gators in RBI (25), walks (14) and doubles (six).
Sophomore right fielder Jonathan Pigott has a .322 average and infielder Clayton Pisani (Naples, Fla.) is right behind at .321.
Around the SEC
SEC Standings
East
Kentucky (3-0) (19-0)
Florida (3-0) (15-3)
Tennessee (3-0) (13-5)
Georgia (2-1) (10-7)
Vanderbilt (2-1) (13-4)
South Carolina (1-2) (12-5)
West
Ole Miss (2-1) (14-6)
Arkansas (1-2) (13-6)
Miss State (1-2) (9-9)
Alabama (0-3) (9-10)
Auburn (0-3) (12-8)
LSU (0-3) (12-6)
Schedule
March 21-23
*Vanderbilt at Alabama
*Florida at Ole Miss
*Arkansas at LSU
*Kentucky at Auburn
*Tennessee at Georgia
*Miss State at South Carolina
Collegiate Baseball Rankings
2. Kentucky
9. Vanderbilt
11. South Carolina
18. Ole Miss
29. Florida
30. Tennessee
Baseball America Rankings
5. Vanderbilt
8. Ole Miss
13. South Carolina
16. Kentucky
Baseball: Rebels up next
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IHateUGAlyDawgs
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Baseball: Rebels up next
UF beat Ole Miss two of three this weekend.
Lost the first game 5-4 (had a 9th inning 4-2 lead and blew it on errors)
Won Second game 6-4
Won third game 10-2
Folks, I know it's early but I'm getting excited about this team. They went to Miami and were competitive in all three games and won the series ender. They smashed #3 FSU 6-1, and followed that up by going on the road to win a series against #8 Ole Miss. The new rankings come out today...I expect UF to be in them. They currently stand at 17-4 (5-1 in conference).
Lost the first game 5-4 (had a 9th inning 4-2 lead and blew it on errors)
Won Second game 6-4
Won third game 10-2
Folks, I know it's early but I'm getting excited about this team. They went to Miami and were competitive in all three games and won the series ender. They smashed #3 FSU 6-1, and followed that up by going on the road to win a series against #8 Ole Miss. The new rankings come out today...I expect UF to be in them. They currently stand at 17-4 (5-1 in conference).
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IHateUGAlyDawgs
- Posts: 8155
- Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2007 6:57 pm
Baseball: Rebels up next
UF Wins Series at Ole Miss:
OXFORD, Miss. — Florida freshman pitcher Tommy Toledo limited No. 8 Ole Miss to one run over seven innings Sunday and the Gators used a four-run second inning and a three-run homer by freshman Josh Adams to post a 10-2 win.
The Gators (17-4, 5-1 SEC) won the weekend series over Ole Miss (15-8, 3-3) after losing a heartbreaking 5-4 contest on Friday. UF won Saturday's game 6-4.
Florida had not won a series in Oxford since taking two of three games March 28-30, 1997, and has now captured its first two SEC series for the first time since 2004 and just the third time since the 1994 campaign.
Toledo (4-0) permitted six hits in working at least five innings for the fifth-straight start and lowered his earned run average to 1.93. The Gators had 14 hits, as senior Brandon McArthur went 3-for-4 and scored twice and the quartet of Adams, sophomore Cole Figueroa, sophomore Buddy Munroe and senior Jon Townsend chipped in with two hits apiece.
For the third straight day, the Gators opened the scoring by sending 10 batters to the plate and reaching UM sophomore Nathan Baker (1-3) for four runs on two hits and an error in the second inning.
Adams drew a leadoff walk and moved to second on a fielding error by second baseman Zach Miller. With runners on second and third after the play, Townsend legged out a bunt that brought across Adams. McArthur rifled a double down the right-field line to drive in Dustin Bamberg and put UF runners on second and third.
Sophomore Matt den Dekker had an RBI grounder and Munroe followed with a sacrifice fly to center for a 4-0 margin.
Adams launched a three-run homer in the fifth to expand the Gators’ lead to 7-1 and end the afternoon for Baker. Avery Barnes raised his hitting streak to 13 games with an infield single and Figueroa had a single before a double steal put Florida in prime position. Adams then sent Baker’s 2-2 pitch into the bullpen for his team-leading fifth homer.
Munroe belted his first home run with two down for an 8-1 cushion. The Gators later tacked on two more runs on three hits and another Ole Miss error in the eighth to build a 10-1 margin.
The Gators return to McKethan Stadium on Tuesday for a 6:30 p.m. game against Jacksonville (13-7) in the opener of a home and home series.
OXFORD, Miss. — Florida freshman pitcher Tommy Toledo limited No. 8 Ole Miss to one run over seven innings Sunday and the Gators used a four-run second inning and a three-run homer by freshman Josh Adams to post a 10-2 win.
The Gators (17-4, 5-1 SEC) won the weekend series over Ole Miss (15-8, 3-3) after losing a heartbreaking 5-4 contest on Friday. UF won Saturday's game 6-4.
Florida had not won a series in Oxford since taking two of three games March 28-30, 1997, and has now captured its first two SEC series for the first time since 2004 and just the third time since the 1994 campaign.
Toledo (4-0) permitted six hits in working at least five innings for the fifth-straight start and lowered his earned run average to 1.93. The Gators had 14 hits, as senior Brandon McArthur went 3-for-4 and scored twice and the quartet of Adams, sophomore Cole Figueroa, sophomore Buddy Munroe and senior Jon Townsend chipped in with two hits apiece.
For the third straight day, the Gators opened the scoring by sending 10 batters to the plate and reaching UM sophomore Nathan Baker (1-3) for four runs on two hits and an error in the second inning.
Adams drew a leadoff walk and moved to second on a fielding error by second baseman Zach Miller. With runners on second and third after the play, Townsend legged out a bunt that brought across Adams. McArthur rifled a double down the right-field line to drive in Dustin Bamberg and put UF runners on second and third.
Sophomore Matt den Dekker had an RBI grounder and Munroe followed with a sacrifice fly to center for a 4-0 margin.
Adams launched a three-run homer in the fifth to expand the Gators’ lead to 7-1 and end the afternoon for Baker. Avery Barnes raised his hitting streak to 13 games with an infield single and Figueroa had a single before a double steal put Florida in prime position. Adams then sent Baker’s 2-2 pitch into the bullpen for his team-leading fifth homer.
Munroe belted his first home run with two down for an 8-1 cushion. The Gators later tacked on two more runs on three hits and another Ole Miss error in the eighth to build a 10-1 margin.
The Gators return to McKethan Stadium on Tuesday for a 6:30 p.m. game against Jacksonville (13-7) in the opener of a home and home series.