Florida finishes the second weekend of SEC play without a win on Sunday, as the Georgia Bulldogs completed a three-game sweep of the Gators, 15-5, in seven innings.
Georgia scored in every inning but the third, with a six-run sixth being the one that put the game out of hand. Starter Jake Clemente only lasted two innings, being pulled with no outs in the third after a four-pitch walk to lead off the frame. Georgia’s best hitter, Rylan Zaborowski, doubled in the first run of the game off Clemente, and Christian Adams began his 3-for-4 day with a three-run home in the second.
Florida responded with Brendan Lawson’s sixth home run of the year, a solo shot, but the Gators still trailed by three runs.
Georgia picked the scoring back up in the fourth with a two-run homer off Jackson Barberi, who took over for Clemente. Barberi had recorded an out against the first four batters he faced and nearly got out of the inning after allowing a double to Adams, but Slate Alford hit the first pitch he saw 115 mph and 376 feet over the left-field fence. Barberi loaded the bases with two walks and a hit-by-pitch, but he got Henry Hunter to fly out and stop the bleeding.
Adams hit his second homer of the day in the fifth off the third pitch Niko Janssens threw after replacing Barberi with two outs. Janssens walked the leadoff man in the sixth, bringing Kevin O’Sullivan out for another pitching change, but Caden McDonald didn’t fare any better.
McDonald hit the first batter he saw after filling up the count, and Zaborowski hit a three-run home run. A single and walk brought Sully back out and Christian Rodriguez in to pitch. Nolan McCarthy took him deep to bring the run rule into play, with Georgia up 13-1. Florida responded with a three-run sixth. Bobby Boser, Luke Heyman and Ashton Wilson all singled, and Cade Kurland, who returned to the lineup in hopes of sparking the offense, traded a groundout for an RBI.
Georgia answered right back with an Alford single and Robbie Burnett’s two-run homer to bring the run rule back into effect. Matthew Hoskins hit Bobby Boser to give Florida a runner in the bottom of the seventh but ended up striking out the side to end the game — all three swinging.
It’s been a miserable 10 days to be a Gators baseball fan and Sully is somewhat bewildered by the lackluster effort his team is delivering in conference rivalry series. Something has to change if Florida is going to make another trip to Omaha, but things look very bleak heading into the final week of March.
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