On Tuesday night, the Florida Gators staged an improbable late comeback to clinch the season series over the Florida State Seminoles with a 5-3 victory. Playing before 7,441 fans at Condron Family Ballpark, the Gators drew first blood, holding the Noles to five hits while issuing zero walks. But the Noles rallied back in the sixth inning, scoring three runs on a pair of RBI doubles to take a 3-0 lead.
However, trailing for the entirety of the contest, the Gators finally found their rhythm in the bottom of the eighth. With two runners in scoring position and two outs, a failed pickoff attempt at second base allowed Sterlin Thompson to score from third base and cut the deficit to one. Following a Cory Acton walk, Ty Evans made his way to the dish and provided the game-winning blow with a go-ahead, three-run home run onto the left-field berm.
With a newfound 5-3 lead, Brandon Neely entered the ballgame in the ninth to shut it down. Using 16 pitches, Neely struck out the side in order to improve to 7-for-7 in save chances this season. The win improves the Gators’ record against the Seminoles to 126-131-1, including 66-49 in Gainesville.
Notably, the Gators have won 21 of the last 25 meetings against the Seminoles, a testament to their dominance in the series. Additionally, the Gators have struck out 372 batters in 293 1/3 innings – an impressive 11.4 per nine innings. Through 34 games, Florida has a run differential of plus-146 and has recorded 369 hits (10.9 hits per game), highlighting their offensive capability.
Looking forward, Florida will host Georgia this weekend in a three-game series from Friday, April 14, through Sunday, April 16. With a 28-6 record and a nine-game winning streak, the Gators will be looking to continue their impressive run and maintain their position atop the SEC standings.
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