Florida baseball managed to narrowly avoid a sweep at the hands of the Vanderbilt Commodores with a 10-inning win on Sunday, and the Gators have one more game against Stetson on Tuesday to prepare for No. 1 Tennessee over the coming weekend.
Last time out against the Hatters, Florida cruised to an 8-1 victory. That game came after an opening series loss to Liberty and led to an early seven-game winning streak for UF. The Gators could use another momentum boost after getting off to a rocky start against SEC opponents.
Sterlin Thompson led the offense with three RBIs on three hits, including a solo home run, and redshirt freshman Tucker Talbott had a four-hit night in one of his few appearances of the year. Timmy Manning got a short one-inning start to regain some confidence after a weekend loss. Tuesday’s starter,Karl Hartman, was the first arm out of the bullpen followed by Nick Ficarrotta, who ended up taking home the win after 60 pitches and 4 2/3 innings. Blake Purnell and Brandon Neely finished things off.
Kevin O’Sullivan probably won’t be playing his backups too much in this one as the Gators find themselves in need of a pick me up during the toughest part of their schedule. Each weekend seems to end in heartbreak only to have some hope restored by a solid midweek win. There’s no game between the Tennessee and Kentucky series, so this is Florida’s last dress rehearsal for that stretch.
A win here is expected, but it’s a crucial game for the Gators.
Projected Starting Lineup
Probable Starters
Team
Pitcher
Record
ERA
STETSON
LHP Jonathan Gonzalez
3-5
5.24
FLORIDA
RHP Karl Hartman
0-0
9.26
NOTES: Hartman is expected to get his first collegiate start on Tuesday after nine relief appearances this season for 11 2/3 innings. He threw 1 1/3 innings against Stetson last time around, surrendering a run on three walks, a hit and a wild pitch. Seton Hall, LSU and Georgia all…
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