Florida Gators

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Redshirt sophomore pinch runner Tyler Marshall scored the winning run in the 10th inning on a wild pitch as Kentucky notched a 5-4 victory over No. 1 Florida on Easter Sunday afternoon at Cliff Hagan Stadium. The Wildcats (17-6/4-2 SEC) scored twice in the frame after the Gators (23-3/4-2 SEC) had taken a 4-3 lead. UK won the final two games this weekend to claim the series.
 
In the top of the 10th, junior Buddy Reed reached on an error by sophomore shortstop Riley Mahan and moved to second on a wild pitch by freshman Sean Hjelle (3-0). Sophomore JJ Schwarz (2-for-5) gave the Gators a 4-3 lead with an RBI single into center field to score Reed and junior Peter Alonso reached on Mahan' second miscue of the inning for two runners on base. Hjelle worked out of the jam by setting down the next three Gators.
 
In the bottom of the inning, Mahan redeemed himself with a game-tying solo shot to right field with one down off of junior Dane Dunning (2-1). Freshman Cole Cottam was then hit by a pitch and junior Storm Wilson drew a walk for two Wildcats aboard and Marshall was inserted as a pinch runner. Freshman Brady Singer replaced Dunning (2.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R) and sophomore Evan White (2-for-6) had an infield single that loaded the bases. With junior JaVon Shelby batting, a wild pitch enabled Marshall to come home to give the Wildcats the triumph.
 
Florida had jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second inning against senior right-hander Kyle Cody. Freshman Deacon Liput drew a leadoff walk and moved to second on a base-hit into right field by sophomore Mike Rivera. Although a sacrifice bunt attempt by sophomore Jeremy Vasquez forced Liput at third base, freshman Nelson Maldonado (2-for-4) followed with an RBI double into left field to open the scoring. Freshman Jonathan India had an RBI grounder that brought in Vasquez and Maldonado was able to come around with the third run on an infield single from sophomore Dalton Guthrie.
 
The Wildcats threatened in the third inning but were kept at bay by sophomore Alex Faedo. After striking out White, the right-hander issued a walk to Shelby and struck out junior Gunnar McNeill. Junior Zach Reks (3-for-4) singled into left field to advance Shelby and a wild pitch pushed both runners into scoring position before Faedo fanned sophomore Luke Becker.
 
The Gators had a pair of runners in scoring position with two down in both the fifth and sixth innings, only to be stymied by Cody. With Guthrie on third and Reed on second in the fifth, Cody jammed Alonso on an infield fly. In the following frame, Florida had a two-out double from Maldonado push Vasquez to third base. However, India grounded out to second base to strand the runners.
 
Kentucky closed within 3-2 in the sixth inning. Reks was hit by a pitch with one down, ending a run of eight straight batters retired by Faedo. Becker put the Wildcats on the board with an RBI double into left field, with Reks scoring all the way from first base. After junior Marcus Carson flew out to right field, Mahan plated Becker with a single up the middle. Junior Kirby Snead replaced Faedo (5.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 8 K, 1 BB) and yielded a pinch-hit single to Cottam before having Wilson ground out unassisted to Alonso.
 
UK tied the game at 3-3 in the seventh on a two-out wild pitch from junior Shaun Anderson. White led off with a single into left, raising his hitting streak to 16 games. White moved to second on a failed pickoff attempt and advanced to third on a grounder by McNeill. With Reks at the plate, White came home on an errant pitch. Reks singled into left field and Becker pushed his teammate to third with a base-hit into right center, prompting a pitching change. Dunning came in for Anderson and plunked Carson to load the bases. The righty kept the game tied by having Mahan fly out to Reed.
 
After Reks delivered a two-out double in the ninth to right center, Dunning struck out Becker to provide the fans to free baseball.  
                                                      
Postgame Notes

• Kentucky has defeated Florida by a 2-1 margin in the series for the last four seasons.
• The Gators fell to 2-1 in extra innings this year.
• Head coach Kevin O'Sullivan was ejected in the third inning.
• Alex Faedo had eight strikeouts over 5.2 innings, bringing his team-leading total to 53 this spring.
• Nelson Maldonado has a career-high five-game hitting streak and was 2-for-4 today. He was 8-for-13 (.615) on the weekend.
• Deacon Liput has reached base in 25 of Florida's 26 games this season.
• Kentucky held a 12-7 edge in hits and the teams combined for five errors (three by UK, two by UF).

 
Up Next
Florida and No. 11 Florida State (18-5) will meet in the second of the three Sunshine Showdowns on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at The Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. Jeff Cardozo and Steve Russell have the call on the Gator IMG Sports Network.
 
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