Florida needed until Saturday to win Friday night's series opener against Georgia.
And even then it was a bizarre ending to a great game — with a walk-off strikeout.
With
a runner at third and two out, Florida's Nolan Fontana struck out to
apparently end the 16th inning. But the ball was in the dirt and Georgia
catcher Brandon Stephens couldn't catch Fontana to tag the Gator
shortstop as he sprinted out of the batter's box. Stephens moved to his
right and then launched the ball too high for first baseman Jonathan
Hester, allowing Vickash Ramjit to score from third and give No. 5
Florida a 3-2 win in 16 innings.
It was a crazy ending — just after midnight — to a game that featured pitching and defense.
It
was the longest game the Gators have played since a 1996 win over LSU.
It was also a game that had postseason intensity with spectacular
defense from both sides. Until the end.
In the 13th inning when
Florida appeared to have the game won twice. With one out, Casey Turgeon
rifled a single to right with pinch-runner Josh Tobias on second. But
Tobias got a late start leaving second and was thrown out at the plate
by Georgia's Kevin Ruiz. Ramjit followed with a scorcher down the line,
but third baseman Curt Powell made a back-handed stab and threw Ramjit
out at first.
Florida received an impressive performance by Austin
Maddox, who came into the game as a reliever in the eighth inning. His
line at the end of the game looked more like a starter's.
The sophomore threw 5⅔ innings of shutout relief. It was the most innings Maddox has pitched in a game at Florida.
Greg Larson was also impressive in relief and ended up getting the win.
Florida is now 30-8 and 10-6 in the SEC, while Georgia is now 23-16 and 7-9.
By
the time the game ended, a good part of the crowd of 4,840 had headed
home. Those who did stay saw the two teams combine for 27 hits but leave
26 runners on base.
Florida starter Jonathon Crawford gave up a
two-out double to Powell in the top of the third and then an RBI single
to Peter Verdin to give Georgia the first run of the game.
The
Gators tied it in the fourth when catcher Mike Zunino drilled a double
to left and Brian Johnson singled up the middle to bring him home. It
was Johnson's 14th RBI in his last seven games.
Georgia threatened
in the top of the fifth, loading the bases with one out to chase
Crawford. But Steven Rodriguez struck out Ward and a nifty force-out
play from Fontana to Turgeon forced Verdin at second.
Florida then
took the lead in the bottom of the inning. Fontana and Daniel Pigott
singled and Fontana advanced to third on Preston Tucker's foul out.
Zunino's fly ball to center brought Fontana home.
Rodriguez
squirmed out of trouble again in the sixth by getting three straight
outs after Georgia put runners on first and second.
But in the
eighth Georgia's Brett Deloach lined a one-out triple and scored on
Connor Walton's blooper over a drawn-in infield to tie the score. Maddox
got out of the inning after hitting a batter by getting a ground out
and a strikeout.
