LUBBOCK REGIONAL

Dallas Baptist 9, Gators 8

WHAT HAPPENED: During a season defined by a steady offensive attack often undone by wobbly pitching, the Gators' stay in Lubbock ended in familiar fashion Sunday afternoon. It came down to the final batter and with the tying run at third base. But first, the Gators had to claw back from a seven-run deficit after Dallas Baptist University scored nine runs in the fourth inning to take command. The Gators started to chip away in the fifth inning by scoring four runs, highlighted by a two-run homer from outfielder Wil Dalton. By the time freshman Jacob Young stepped to the plate with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, DBU's lead was down to 9-8 and another UF freshman, Kendrick Calilao, represented the tying run 90 feet away. However, Patriots relieve Burl Callaway retired Young on a ground ball to second for the final out, the Gators' last out of the season. The Gators scored 16 runs in two games against DBU in the Lubbock Regional but lost both because they gave up 20 runs.
 
KEY MOMENT: Trailing 9-6 in the seventh, the Gators loaded the bases with two outs off DBU reliever MacGregor Hines, who was a UF redshirt freshman in 2016 prior to transferring. Up stepped senior Nelson Maldonado, Florida's leading hitter who entered Sunday's game having reached base safely in eight of nine trips to the plate. Maldonado got ahead in the count 3-0, but Hines came back and got Maldonado to uncharacteristically chase strike three. The Gators continued to battle after Maldonado's strikeout, but the at-bat stung because Maldonado has been such a clutch hitter over his stellar four-year career.
 
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Gators freshman starter Nick Pogue made his first career NCAA Tournament start and breezed through the Patriots lineup his first time through the order, needing only 34 pitches -- 26 of them strikes -- through three innings. However, Pogue labored through a 33-pitch fourth inning before head coach Kevin O'Sullivan took him out during DBU's nine-run outburst. Pogue's final line: 3 2/3 IP, six hits and six runs.
 
STRANGE STAT: DBU's nine-run fourth inning was the first time the Gators have allowed nine or more runs in an inning under O'Sullivan, who took over the program in 2008. The last time UF's pitching staff allowed nine runs in an inning was April 27, 2007, in a 17-6 loss at Vanderbilt. The Commodores scored nine times in the seventh inning.

BONUS MOMENT: Junior right-hander Tyler Dyson made his first appearance since April 20 at LSU. Dyson opened the season as Florida's Friday night starter but had trouble finding consistency as part of his impressive repertoire. He took over in the ninth inning Sunday and pitched a scoreless frame, striking out two. Following the final strike of the inning, Dyson yelled toward the dugout to pep up his teammates as the adrenaline pumped.
 
BY THE NUMBERS:  .343 -- Final batting average for Maldonado, who finished as the Gators' leading hitter; 5.37 -- Final ERA for UF's pitching staff; 12 -- Consecutive NCAA Tournament berths for the Gators, extending the school record.
 
FROM THE COACH: Head coach Kevin O'Sullivan – On today's game: "First of all, congratulate Dallas Baptist, they certainly earned it. They are a really good offensive club, and you know, so they earned moving on to tonight's game.

"Want to thank our three seniors, Nelly, Blake and Jonah. They have been to three Omahas, and obviously it's a tough way to end the season the way it did today, but not many people can say they have been to Omaha three years in a row, and they certainly set a standard here and certainly going to miss those guys.

"Got a couple guys here to my right. They are going to have opportunities to move on to professional baseball with other players, as well, and want to thank those guys as well.

"The way the game went, kind of a fitting ending to the way the season went. We have -- this is probably -- I was talking to Austin about this before. This is probably the most resilient offense I've had in 12 years. They continue to scratch and claw and do what they needed to do to get us back in the ballgame. Most teams down 9-2, it would be tough to come back, and you know we got one base hit away from tying up the ballgame there in the ninth.

"But the beginning just got us. Gave up seven runs with two outs and couldn't quite stop the bleeding. That's been our M.O. the entire year. The beginning has kind of got us, so we have got some work to do that way moving forward next year. But awfully proud of how we battled this season and how we battled this weekend and like we said, Dallas Baptist earned it and certainly wish them the best of luck moving forward."