Florida Gators

VIDEO
SEC Network Recap with Nick Belmonte & Mike Morgan
Peter Alonso & Shaun Anderson
Head Coach Kevin O'Sullivan
 
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The trio of freshman Konnor Pilkington, junior Zac Houston and junior Reid Humphreys did not allow a run until the ninth inning as No. 10 Mississippi State notched a series-clinching 2-1 win over No. 1 Florida on Sunday at McKethan Stadium. The Bulldogs (23-9-1/8-4 SEC) bounced back from a loss on Friday night to hand the Gators (29-5/8-4 SEC) their first home series defeat of the season.  
 
Sophomore Ryan Gridley homered in the fifth inning and freshman Elih Marrero (3-for-5) delivered a bases-loaded RBI single in the seventh to account for the scoring for MSU. Pilkington had a four-inning stint before Houston (2-0) threw 3.1 innings of scoreless ball and Humphrey recorded the final five outs to collect his third save. Junior Peter Alonso had his team-leading seventh homer in the ninth for the Gators and junior Shaun Anderson struck out a career-high six batters over three innings.
 
Florida had two runners aboard against Pilkington with one out in the second inning but were held scoreless. Sophomore Jeremy Vasquez doubled down the right-field line with one down and freshman Nelson Maldonado followed with a walk. Although sophomore Dalton Guthrie roped a two-out single into right field, Vasquez was thrown out at the plate on a relay from junior right fielder Cody Brown to Marrero.  
 
Gridley started the fifth with a home run to left field off of junior Dane Dunning (2-2) for his second homer of the season.
 
Florida put its first two runners aboard in the home part of the inning and could not break the ice. Guthrie drew a leadoff walk and junior Buddy Reed singled up the middle, bringing Houston in for Pilkington (4.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 5 BB, 2 K). The righty had sophomore JJ Schwarz fly out to left field and was then charged with a balk to put a pair of base-runners in scoring position. Houston escaped the jam by having Alonso pop up and freshman Deacon Liput fly out to right field.
 
Marrero began the sixth with a base-hit into left field, ending the day for Dunning (5.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R). Junior Nathaniel Lowe greeted junior reliever Kirby Snead with a single up the middle for runners on the corners and freshman Brady Singer was summoned from the bullpen. The right-hander induced a grounder from Humphreys to freshman third baseman Jonathan India, who threw out Marrero at the plate. After junior Gavin Collins flew out to center field, junior Cody Brown walked to load the bases. Singer stranded the runners by having Gridley ground out to Guthrie.
 
UF mounted a two-out rally in the sixth, as Maldonado singled up the middle and India earned a free pass. However, Houston had a fielder's choice by Guthrie force India at second base to end the frame.
 
Sophomore Brent Rooker (2-for-4) opened the seventh with a double to right and senior John Holland followed with a pinch-hit double to right field that was reviewed by the umpires to determine if it was a home run. With Bulldogs on second and third after the discussion, Anderson came in for Singer (1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R) and issued a walk to freshman Jake Mangum that loaded the bases. After Marrero blooped a single into right center that scored Rooker for a 2-0 score, Anderson retired the next three batters on two strikeouts and an infield fly.  
 
The Gators loaded the bases in the eighth but could not push anything across. Sophomore Mike Rivera drew a one-out walk from Houston (3.1 IP, 1 H), who was replaced by Humphreys. Vasquez earned a base on balls and a two-out single by India filled the sacks. Humphreys had Guthrie foul out to first base to preserve the Bulldogs' two-run lead.
 
Postgame Quotes
Head Coach Kevin O'Sullivan
Opening Statement:
"Credit Mississippi State's pitchers. They threw the ball well. We had our opportunities. We just couldn't come up with a big hit. It's just that simple. It's a long season. It's disappointing, of course. We'll move on. We've got to get ready to play Florida State on Tuesday."
 
On Florida's pitching tonight:
"Our pitching in general did what they needed to do. They made some pitches when they needed to and kept the score where it was. Shaun (Anderson) did great and made some big pitches. I'm proud of the way he pitched. Dane (Dunning) gave us a really good start."
 
Junior first baseman Peter Alonso
On the series:
"Today was a hard-fought game, and it could have gone either way. We left a lot of guys on base. We should have come up and got them in, but it is what it is. It's baseball, it was a close game and the ball could have bounced either way."
 
Junior right-hander Shaun Anderson
On his outing (three innings with a career-high six strikeouts):
"I felt good out there. I was just trying to keep our team in the game. I really wanted to win this game and this series. I just wanted to keep it as close as possible."
 
Postgame Notes

• Mississippi State claimed a series in Gainesville for the first time since 2007 (12-9, 8-9, 14-13).
• The weekend series drew 13,891 fans to McKethan Stadium, highlighted by a school-record crowd of 6,244 on Saturday night.
• Florida fell to 6-2 in one-run games this season.
• Dane Dunning made his first weekend start of the season and his first SEC regular-season start since facing Kentucky on April 25, 2015.
• Jeremy Vasquez raised his hitting streak to a career-high eight games with a second-inning double. He was 5-for-9 (.556) in the series.
• Peter Alonso recorded his first hit of the series with a homer in the ninth to left field.
• Shaun Anderson retired the final nine batters he faced, striking out a career-high six batters.
• The Gators left 13 runners on base and neither team committed any errors.

 
Up Next
The Gators will wrap their regular-season series with No. 8 Florida State (22-8/9-2 ACC) in Tallahassee on Tuesday at 6 p.m. Jeff Cardozo and Steve Russell have the call on the Gator IMG Sports Network and the game will be streamed on ESPN3.
 
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