GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Fueled by a seven-run second inning and sharp pitching, the Florida Gators dominated the Stetson Hatters 13-3 on Tuesday night.
Gators coach Kevin O’Sullivan was pleased with the team’s overall performance, especially its pitching, which has been shaky this season.
“It was pretty much how you wanted to draw it up,” O’Sullivan said. “Everybody’s under 40 pitches. We didn’t walk anybody… they’re still fresh to go on Friday night (which is) important, and that’s kind of what you hope for.”
The Gators (21-19) used four pitchers in the game. Cade Fisher got the start, allowing four hits and one run in two innings. Ryan Slater took his place, throwing 34 pitches and allowing four hits and two runs. He was relieved by Frank Menendez, followed by Luke McNeillie, both of whom did not allow any runs to score.
The second inning started strong, as Luke Heyman sent a two-run homer to left field. The Gators’ next runs came in when Brody Donay perfectly executed a sacrifice bunt, sending Cade Kurland and Hayden Yost home to extend the lead to 4-0.
The second-inning home runs continued, as Ty Evans and Jac Caglianone hit two consecutive homers, giving the Gators three more runs, making it 7-0.
The scoring continued in the fourth inning when Michael Robertson launched a homer to left. Additionally, Caglianone hit his second homer of the game, bringing the Gators lead to 9-2.
Caglianone continued his offensive dominance, hitting the walk-off single, ending the game in the seventh by mercy rule.
O’Sullivan praised his star, noting how Caglianone grabs everyone’s attention each time he steps up to the plate. Caglianone, a top prospect for July’s MLB draft, has hit 11 home runs in the last 11 games, increasing his season total to 25 homers with a .410 batting average.
“Very rarely do you have players like (Caglianone) that when they come to the plate, the whole ballpark stops to watch as something great might happen,” O’Sullivan said. “And he’s got that about him. I think Wyatt Langford was like that… But they’re hard to come by.”
Stetson (26-15) scored a third run of the game in the fifth inning to cut into its deficit, 9-3. However, Florida kept surging forward.
Cade Kurland and Brody Donay launched two more homers in the bottom of the seventh inning before Caglianone walked it off with a single.
The Gators look to extend their win streak as they travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas, to take on No. 2 Arkansas (35-6) in a three-game series starting 8 p.m ET Friday.
