Florida Baseball Takes Series Over No. 21 Miami, 6-3

Florida (5-7) used a four-run third inning and solid pitching to collect a 6-3 victory in the decisive third game of its weekend series against No. 21 Miami (10-2) on Sunday afternoon at McKethan Stadium. The Gators have taken the last four regular-season series against the Hurricanes: 2010 (2-1), 2011 (3-0), 2012 (3-0) and 2013 (2-1). In addition, Kevin O’Sullivan improved to 17-7 in his tenure versus UM after two-straight triumphs to claim the series and UF has now collected 13 wins in the past 14 meetings between the Sunshine State rivals.  

Sophomore Justin Shafer (Lake Wales, Fla.) went 3-for-4 this afternoon and finished 7-for-12 (.583) in the series, while freshman right-hander Jay Carmichael (Cape Coral, Fla.) (1-1) picked up his first collegiate win with two scoreless innings in relief of freshman starter Eric Hanhold (Palm Harbor, Fla.). Freshman Harrison Bader (Bronxville, N.Y.) was 2-for-4 with his first collegiate RBI.

“These Sunday games are tough – it was a deciding game,” head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “For us, it was the difference between two games in the standings: we could have gone down to four games under .500 or two under .500. It was a big game for us, it’s a rivalry weekend and I was awfully proud at the way we bounced back today and this weekend in general after a tough Friday-night loss.”

“We scored four in the eighth last night and battled back, and then today we jumped out there early and put some good swings on the ball, but we do have some things to work on. I’m a little disappointed that we didn’t put any runs on the board after the fourth inning, but those things can be corrected. I want them to enjoy the win. It’s been a tough go the first part of this season, but when you get the chance to win a series against a really good team, a rival, you have to feel good about things.”

“These are two great wins,” Shafer said. “To take the series against a great Miami team, they hadn’t lost all year - that’s big for us. Just like losing is contagious, so is winning. Hopefully, we keep it rolling; we’ve got five games this next week. We feel pretty good but we still have a lot to work on; we’re going to keep getting better.”

Senior Chantz Mack opened the scoring for the Hurricanes in the first inning with an RBI grounder off Hanhold. Freshman Ricky Eusebio (2-for-5) began the game with a single into right field and stole second before taking third on a fly out by junior Alex Hernandez. Mack’s grounder to second base broke the ice.

Helped by a two-out error, the Gators notched the equalizer in the bottom of the frame against sophomore Andrew Suarez (1-1). Sophomore Casey Turgeon (Palm Harbor, Fla.) (1-for-3, two runs) singled with one down and Shafer raised his hitting streak to 10 games with a double into left center field. Suarez struck out redshirt sophomore Zack Powers (Seffner, Fla.) but then had an errant throw to second base trying to pick Shafer off, enabling Turgeon to come home with the tying run. Shafer advanced to third on a passed ball and Suarez had senior Vickash Ramjit (Miami, Fla.) ground out to first base to keep the game tied.

Miami had runners on the corners with one down in the second inning but was unable to score. Junior Brad Fieger drew a leadoff walk, moved to second on a grounder by senior Alex San Juan and went to third on a wild pitch by Hanhold. After senior Michael Broad was hit by a pitch, the Gators threw out Fieger at the plate on a 1-6-3-2 putout and had freshman Brandon Lopez ground out.

Following a perfect third inning by Hanhold, the Gators exploded for four runs on three hits to build a 5-1 advantage. Freshman Richie Martin (Brandon, Fla.) extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a leadoff double and has now reached base in all 12 games this year. Turgeon earned a free pass for two runners aboard and a one-out throwing error by Suarez allowed Martin to score the go-ahead run from second base. After Powers walked for runners on first and third, sophomore Taylor Gushue (Boca Raton, Fla.) delivered a sacrifice fly to the warning track in left field to bring home Turgeon with the Gators’ third run. Ramjit came through with a two-out RBI single to score Powers and Bader tallied his first career RBI with his first triple to drive in Ramjit and end the afternoon for Suarez (2.2 IP, 5 H, 5 R) in favor of senior Eric Whaley.

The Gators increased their lead to 6-1 in the fourth on a two-out RBI double by Shafer. Reid led off with his first career double to right field and was sacrificed to third on a bunt by senior pinch hitter Cody Dent (Boynton Beach, Fla.). Shafer came through with a two-bagger to center field and advanced to third on an error by Eusebio.

After a one-out single by Lopez and a walk to sophomore Garrett Kennedy in the fifth, Hanhold (4.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R) was replaced by Carmichael. The rookie struck out Eusebio and then Hernandez singled into center field to score Lopez for a 6-2 count. Mack was plunked to load the bases with two down and freshman David Thompson was called out at close play at first base to complete the frame.

In the seventh, Kennedy walked with one down and sophomore Ryan Harris (Jupiter, Fla.) was summoned from the bullpen for Carmichael (2.0 IP, 1 H). After Eusebio singled through the left side, Harris had Hernandez ground into an inning-ending 5-4-3 double play to end the threat.  

Kennedy finalized the scoring in the ninth at 6-3 with a two-out solo homer off of sophomore Johnny Magliozzi (East Milton, Mass.). UF had a 9-6 advantage in hits and did not commit any errors this afternoon.

Gators baseball evens series with Hurricanes

Sophomore Taylor Gushue's bases-loaded, two-run single in the bottom of the eighth erased a 3-2 Miami lead and Florida went on to defeat Miami, 6-4, Saturday night before a chilled McKethan Stadium crowd of 3,899, ending a six-game losing streak while handing the No. 21 Hurricanes their first defeat of the season.

“I felt relaxed and I didn't try to do too much,” Gushue said. “I just tried to put a good swing on the ball, and that's what happened.”

“We've been looking for a guy to step up and swing the bat all year long,” UF coach Kevin O'Sullivan said. “That was a big one.”

UF freshman starter Tucker Simpson was able to work out of jams in each of the first three innings, as the Hurricanes left five men on base, including three in scoring position, but he ran out of luck in the top of the fourth when Miami (10-1) used a one-out infield hit and stolen base by Michael Broad and a two-out, bloop RBI single off the bat of Brandon Lopez to take a 1-0 lead.

The Gators (4-7) answered in the fourth, with some help.

Sophomore third baseman Zack Powers stroked a one-out single to left and ended up at third moments later when Miami starter Javi Salas threw wildly to first on an attempted pickoff.

Gushue, who was 2-for-3 on the night and drove in three runs, followed with a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Powers to tie things at 1-all and end a career-high 14 2/3-inning scoreless streak for Salas.

Simpson, however, could not protect the lead.

Miami's Alex Hernandez led off the fifth inning with a single, and Chantz Mack followed with a well-placed bunt to put two men on with no outs.

Clean-up batter David Thompson then laid down a sacrifice bunt and Powers threw wildly to first, allowing Hernandez to score with the go-ahead run and Mack to reach third.

A passed ball on Gushue allowed Mack to score one pitch later and make it 3-1, and after fanning Miami's Brad Fieger for his career-high sixth strikeout, Simpson was pulled for sophomore reliever Ryan Harris, who threw 3 1/3 innings of one-hit, shutout ball to keep the 'Canes at bay.

“I think what kind of gets lost is that Ryan Harris did a really nice job,” O'Sullivan said.

Sophomore second baseman Casey Turgeon led off the UF sixth with a home run into the Miami bullpen in right-center to cut the 'Canes led to 3-2.

Salas went six innings before giving way to lefty reliever A. J. Salcines.

Salcines (2-1), who took the loss, gave up a lead-off walk to Turgeon to lead off the eighth, and Justin Shafer followed with a double to left-center.

Salcines then hit Powers to load the bases with nobody out. Gushue made him pay with his long two-run single.

Reliever Adam Sargent took over for Salcines and proceeded to wild pitch two more runs across the plate before the inning ended.

Miami added a run off UF closer and winner Johnny Magliozzi (1-0) on back-to-back, two-out doubles by Mack and Thompson before he retired Fieger on a fly ball to center to end the game.

UF freshman shortstop Richie Martin extended his team-high hitting streak to nine games.

No. 4 Gator Softball Downs Drake 4-1 & FAMU 20-2 in Record-Setting Fashion Saturday

A junior Hannah Rogers (Lake Wales, Fla.) one-hitter against Drake and a school-record tying, eight-homer offensive output for the Gators against FAMU helped the No. 4 Florida softball team improve to 21-1 overall on the year as the Gators topped the Bulldogs 4-1 and the Rattlers 20-2 in five innings Saturday at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.

Florida’s eight long balls against Florida A&M – including two grand slams – tied a school record for most home runs in a game, last achieved by the Orange and Blue at Auburn in 2011. A total of seven Gators connected for bombs against FAMU, including junior Stephanie Tofft (Lincoln, Calif.), freshman Taylor Schwarz (Palm Beach, Fla.) and sophomores Jessica Damico (Gray Summit, Mo.), Katie Medina (Downey, Calif.), Bailey Castro (Pembroke Pines, Fla.), Lauren Haeger (Peoria, Ariz.) and Briana Little (Middleburg, Fla.). Haeger and Damico also connected for long balls against the Bulldogs in UF’s first game of the day.

Rogers used a season-best 11 strikeouts four her fourth career complete-game one-hitter in the 4-1 win over Drake. The righty walked just two and held the Bulldogs hitless until the top of the seventh to improve to 9-1 in the circle for the Orange and Blue.

In the Gators’ second game, UF scattered seven runs in the first inning, three in the second, two in the third and four each in the fourth and fifth frames to put up 20 runs on 19 hits against Florida A&M, its most runs since defeating Ball State 21-0 in Clearwater in March of 2011, and two shy of the school record 22. The Gators’ 19 hits were additionally two short of the program record 21.

Castro went yard twice against the Rattlers – the second time in her career with two homers in a game – while Haeger and Little both smashed grand slams in the match-up to bring UF’s season total to five. For Little, the grand slam was her second this year after connecting for one against Jacksonville Feb. 13.

After a Haeger sac fly and senior Kelsey Horton (Valrico, Fla.) RBI double for the Gators’ first two runs in the first inning, the Florida quartet of Tofft, Schwarz, Damico and Medina collaborated for an unprecedented back-to-back-to-back-to-back blasts to stretch the Florida lead to 7-0 after the top of the first, the first such strand of bombs since former Gators Kelsey Bruder, Brittany Schutte and Megan Bush went back-to-back-to-back against LSU in 2011.

With a cushion to work with, game two pitcher Haeger went to work, finishing the day with seven strikeouts, while allowing just four FAMU hits and two runs, both of which came in the bottom of the fourth for the Rattlers. Haeger improved to 7-0 in the circle for the Orange and Blue.

Castro sent a one-out blast over the center-field fence to start UF’s second-inning scoring, while a Schwarz RBI single and Damico fielder’s choice brought home the other two second-inning scores for the 10-0 Gator lead. In the third stanza, a Haeger base hit set up Castro’s second bomb of the afternoon, a two-run shot that extended the advantage, 12-0.

Haeger’s grand slam and team-leading fifth homer of the season, highlighted the fourth inning for the 16-0 UF lead before FAMU narrowed it, 16-2, in the bottom of the frame on a Kieifi Myrick RBI single and Raven Moseley ground out. Little struck for her second grand slam of the year, UF’s eighth homer of the game, in the top of the fifth to seal the deal for the Gators. For Tofft, her homer in the first inning marked the first of her Gator career.

Medina was a perfect 3-for-3 on the afternoon against FAMU, while Little and Tofft were both 2-for-2. Haeger and Horton both finished 2-for-4 against the Rattlers, while Castro was 2-for-3 and Schwarz 3-for-4.

Florida A&M starter Jennifer Lindsey picked up the loss for UF’s seven first-inning runs on six hits to move to 2-9 on the season.

In UF’s first game of the day, a rematch of Friday’s game between the Gators and Bulldogs, Rogers tossed her fourth career complete-game one-hitter, fanning a season-best 11 batters in the process.

Rogers threw a no hitter through six stanzas until Drake’s Nicole Randel chopped leadoff base hit to shallow right field put up the first and only hit of the game for the Bulldogs. For Rogers, the 11 Ks were the most for the righty since 11 versus Eastern Michigan last season.

The Bulldogs were first to get on the board in the top of the first stanza after executing a double steal with runners on the corners. The Gators countered in the home half of the inning with a bases-loaded RBI walk from Tofft to knot the contest at one apiece.

The Gators used the long ball in the second and fifth frames to jump out to a 3-1 cushion for Rogers, as Damico connected for a solo shot in the second, while Haeger went yard in the bottom of the fifth.

Tofft added to the Florida lead with a two-out RBI double to the right-center wall for the Gators’ fourth run of the contest against the Bulldogs.

Freshman Kelsey Stewart (Wichita, Kan.) also connected for a base hit against the Bulldogs to account for UF’s fourth of the contest.

Drake starting hurler Jordan Gronewold shouldered the loss in the circle for the Bulldogs after giving up Florida’s first run of the game before being relieved by Rebekah Schmidt and then re-entering and giving up Damico’s solo blast in the second.

No. 2 Florida Lacrosse Remains Perfect With Win Over No. 4/5 Syracuse at Orange Bowl Classic

Senior attack Kitty Cullen (Rockville, Md.) scored four goals as senior attack Gabi Wiegand (Bay Shore, N.Y.) and sophomore midfielder Shannon Gilory each chipped in four points to help lead the No. 2/2 Florida lacrosse team to a 14-10 win over No. 4/5 Syracuse on Saturday evening in the Orange Bowl Classic at Sun Life Stadium in Miami.  The win helps the Gators remain undefeated at 7-0 and marks the first win over the Orange since 2011.

“I thought we went out and played really, really well as an offensive unit and I thought we did a great job in the goal cage with some huge saves,” Head coach Amanda O’Leary said. “Offensively we were really unselfish and we can have any number of players score when they have the opportunity. They all play unselfishly, so I’m just really, really pleased with the win tonight.”

The Gators used a balanced offensive attack from the trio of Cullen, Wiegand and Gilroy who scored a combined nine goals and were backed by eight saves from senior goalie Mikey Meagher (Liverpool, N.Y.).  Florida led the entire game, using three unanswered goals to start the game, but the Orange (2-2) didn’t make it easy as it cut the lead to two with 19:06 left in the second half.

Gilroy would answer the call with 15:46 left in the game with her third goal of the evening, followed by a goal from Cullen and Bruns to push the Gators lead back to five with 10:49 to play. The game fell silent after a Syracuse goal from Kaliah Kempney at the 9:45 mark as Florida would take control with three minutes remaining and hold on for the win. Gilroy finished the game with three goals and an assist while Wiegand added two goals and two assists to help lead the Gators to their seventh-straight win.

UF won ground balls 13-7 while also grabbing 12 draw controls in the contest. Senior midfielder Brittany Dashiell (Bel Air, Md.) tied a career-high six draw controls on the evening as she also scored a goal in the contest. A total of seven Gators scored goals on the evening including two from senior attack Ashley Bruns (Ellicot City, Md.) and one goal each from sophomore attack Nora Barry (Marcellus, N.Y.) and senior attack Caroline Chesterman (South Nyack, N.Y.) .

Florida took control of the game early, with three unanswered goals from Gilroy, Wiegand and Bruns but Syracuse responded with back-to-back goals to cut the lead to one with 20 minutes remaining in the first half. 

Cullen put her first goal in the back of the net with 18:08 to play off an assist by Gilroy and was followed up with a goal by Nora Barry at the 13:28 mark on an assist by Wiegand. Wiegand helped deliver again on her assist to Cullen to take a 6-2 lead with 11:20 in the first half. 

The Gators were strong on defense, holding Syracuse without a goal for the first eight minutes of the game followed by an 11-minute scoreless streak mid-way through the first half.  SU’s Bridget Daley broke that scoreless streak with a goal at the 9:15 mark as the two teams played a back-and-forth scoring battle for the rest of the half.

UF evens the all-time series between the two teams to 2-2.  They last won in 2011 in the first ever meeting between the two teams while the Orange took the most recent meeting, a win in the NCAA Final Four that eliminated the Gators in a 14-13 overtime win from the 2012 postseason.  While many have used revenge to describe the Gators mindset coming into the game, O’Leary said the team has moved past the 2012 NCAA Final Four loss to the Orange.

“This year is a whole new year and we have some new players so this win was all about 2013 and not about what happened in the Final Four last year.”

Florida is back in action on Tuesday when it hosts 7/9 Loyola (MD) at Donald R. Dizney Stadium with a 6:30 p.m. opening draw.

Florida rallies past Tide for share of SEC title

The talk heading into Florida’s critical Southeastern Conference showdown with Alabama was the Gators getting back to full strength.

But with Will Yeguete and Michael Frazier II still limited in effectiveness coming off injuries, the teetering Gators needed someone else to step up Saturday.

Florida junior Casey Prather provided that lift in crunch time. Behind 10 points and nine rebounds off the bench from the 6-foot-6 forward, the No. 8 Gators rallied from down eight points in the second half to beat Alabama 64-52 before a crowd of 11,624 at the O’Connell Center.

Florida (23-5, 13-3 SEC) clinched a share of the conference title and moved a step closer to its fourth outright regular-season league title in school history. The Gators can clinch that title with a win against Vanderbilt on Wednesday.

“We want to win the championship and we want to be the only ones holding that trophy by ourselves,” Florida junior center Patric Young said.

But for 28 minutes, Florida didn’t seem urgent about seizing the moment. Up just 29-26 at halftime, the Gators floundered early in the second half, falling behind 45-37 during a stretch that included ill-advised shots and passes that wound up in the first row of the bleachers.

“We were beating ourselves,” Florida senior guard Kenny Boynton said. “Not rebounding and crazy turnovers. We just had to settle down, get stops and basically finish on offense.”

But momentum changed when Prather stepped on the floor. From out of control, the Gators transformed into a team in control. From a team that couldn’t control the glass, the Gators transformed to a team that limited the Tide to just one shot.

The Gators went on a 19-2 run, with Prather scoring eight points during the flurry.

“He was the only guy to me that had a level of energy,” Florida coach Billy Donovan said. “Our team picked it up with about eight minutes to go, but in terms of even in the first half and the second half, he had good energy.”

Subbing in Prather for 6-foot-3 guard Mike Rosario, Florida went bigger across the frontline to match Alabama’s physical front. Alabama still managed more second-chance points than the Gators (14-12), but Florida outrebounded Alabama 33-31.

Still wearing a bandage over his left eye after taking a gash to the forehead against Tennessee, Prather mixed it up inside against Alabama’s frontcourt.

“Coach just let me play,” Prather said. “I was just trying to be aggressive and help the team any way I could.”

Yeguete and Frazier couldn’t provide the same spark. Frazier, battling back spasms in practice, missed a pair of free throws in the first half and had no points and one turnover in six minutes. In 11 minutes off the bench, Yeguete had just one rebound and one turnover.

“He hasn’t been out there, so getting back into the flow of the game is going to be a little tough,” Young said. “Hopefully we can have him back at 100 percent soon.”

Erik Murphy led four Florida scorers in double figures with 15 points. Boynton added 13 points, and Scottie Wilbekin had 11. But Donovan was upset with Florida’s lack of ball movement. The Gators finished with seven assists to 10 turnovers.

“We are not a good team unless you start to see our basketball team between 17 and 24 assists,” Donovan said. “We don’t have players who can make plays on their own. They are not capable of doing that. They need to rely on and utilize each other.”

It didn’t help that the Gators suffered another off shooting day. Florida was just 2 of 13 from 3-point range, a season-low 15.4 percent. Coming off a 4-for-17 3-point shooting game against Tennessee, the Gators are just 6 of their last 30 from beyond the arc.

But the Gators made up for their lack of perimeter production by pounding the ball inside and drawing fouls. Florida went to the free-throw line 26 times, making 22. The Gators were a perfect 13 of 13 from the line in the second half.

“We did a great job attacking the rim as a team,” Boynton said. “Post touches, throwing it in to Pat and Murph, they did well finishing in the second half. It wasn’t our best shooting night, but we got fast breaks and finished free throws.”

Alabama (19-10, 11-5 SEC) was done in by another long scoring drought. From the 12-minute to 3-minute mark of the second half, the Crimson Tide scored just two points. Wilbekin did a good job defensively on Trevor Releford, holding the Alabama junior point guard to 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting. Releford had been averaging 24.8 points over his previous three games.

The loss dropped Alabama coach Anthony Grant to 0-5 against his mentor. Grant worked 12 seasons as an assistant under Donovan (1994-2006) at Marshall and UF.

“It’s always going to be a 40-minute game,” Grant said. “We wanted to stay the course, not play too fast or too slow, and that helped us to get the lead. But a team as good as Florida will know how to respond to that.”

NOTES: With 13 points, Boynton passed Andrew Moten (1,930 points) for second on UF's all-time scoring list. Boynton is at 1,940 points, still 150 shy of school record-holder Ronnie Williams (2,090 points). … Former Gator point guard Jason Williams and former UF forward Chris Richard sat courtside during the game. … The Gators improved to 14-0 at home this season, and can finish the season unbeaten at home with a win Wednesday against Vanderbilt.

UF gymnastics set school record on Senior Night

At practice this week, Florida head coach Rhonda Faehn and her staff urged the second-ranked Gators to dig deep as the team hits March and begins to wind down toward the all-important postseason.

“You know, as a coaching staff, we really challenged our team after our last meet,” Faehn said. “That was not what they are capable of. This was now go time, and they needed to step up.”

Message received.

The Gators, who slipped from the No. 1 spot nationally to No. 2 this week following last week's close win over Kentucky, got a winning score of 9.975 in every event to decidedly defeat No. 14 Minnesota, 198.425-197.175, setting a school-record with their team score that was two-tenths of a point better than the existing mark of 198.225 set against UCLA in 2004 as an O'Connell Center crowd of 3,843 looked on.

En route, UF (8-1, 6-1 SEC) set all-time event marks in the balance beam (49.60) and floor exercise (49.70) and notched an uneven bars score of 49.675 that is tied for the No. 2 school mark.

“It was awesome,” Faehn said. “It was really incredible.”

In addition, sophomore Kytra Hunter won the all-around title with a winning 39.80 score that tied Kristen Guise's 1996 school-record mark, with freshman Bridget Sloan right on her heels with a 39.750 that is tied for No. 3 all-time. Both were collegiate-bests.

All that, and a host of other collegiate-best marks made for a great Senior Night as UF honored the foursome of Ashanee Dickerson, Marissa King, Randy Stageberg and Dali Lemezan.

“It was an amazing night,” said Dickerson, who tied for second on the vault (9.925) and the floor (9.95) and was third in the all-around (39.550) behind Hunter and Sloan.

“It was a great night to have as your last dual meet as a senior, breaking the school record for the highest team total.”

Hunter started things out with a winning 9.975 on the vault, tying her collegiate best for the fifth time in the last 11 meets.

Junior Mackenzie Caquatto followed with a 9.975 to win the bars, Sloan won the beam with a collegiate-best 9.975, and King capped the night by winning the floor with a 9.975 that tied her collegiate best.

“It was definitely a great night,” Hunter said. “It was emotional at the end. It's really hard to see the seniors go, but we still have a long road ahead of us, and we want to be that top team at NCAAs.”

Making it all the sweeter for UF's senior quartet was that all four of them competed together for the first time at home all season in their final home regular-season meet.

While Dickerson, King and Stageberg have been regulars in the lineup throughout their careers, Lemezan has been limited the past two seasons after tearing her ACL at the 2011 NCAA Championships.

She competed on the vault Friday for just the second time all season — and first at home — in an exhibition performance.

Minnesota's team score, meanwhile, was a season-high.

The Golden Gophers (12-3, 4-1 Big Ten) were led by freshman Lindsay Mable and sophomore Cierra Tomson, the latter from Jacksonville, who were fourth and fifth, respectively, in the all-around.

But this night belonged to the Gators.

“It was wonderful,” Faehn said. “I was really happy to see our whole team, not just the senior class, perform well.

“I told the athletes before in the meeting that we're honoring the seniors, but that we have a lot more to accomplish. We're going to respect and honor what they've done, but we have a lot more to do.”

UF has one remaining dual meet at Utah March 16 before heading to the SEC Championships in Little Rock, Ark., March 23.

The Gators will return to the O’Dome on April 6 as one of six hosts for NCAA Regionals.

No. 21 Miami Nips Florida, 3-2, To Take Series Opener

Freshman David Thompson (2-for-5) delivered a two-out RBI single up the middle in the ninth inning that brought home senior Chantz Mack (2-for-3) with the winning run as No. 21 Miami (10-0), edged Florida (3-7), 3-2, on Friday night at McKethan Stadium in the opener of the Sunshine State rivals’ weekend set. The victory ended an 11-game losing streak in the series for the Hurricanes after the Gators had tied the game with a pair of runs in the eighth.

With the teams deadlocked at 2-2 entering the ninth, UF freshman right-hander Jay Carmichael (Cape Coral, Fla.) (0-1) struck out junior Tyler Palmer and junior Alex Hernandez. Mack halted a stretch of eight consecutive Hurricanes set down by the rookie with a single into right field and then moved into scoring position with his first stolen base of the season. Thompson broke the stalemate by slicing a 2-2 pitch into center field to put Miami back on top.

“I thought [Jay] Carmichael was throwing the ball well and whether or not we were going to go to Mags [Johnny Magliozzi] there, but I wanted to see if we could get a lead,” head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “There wasn’t a point in time where I thought he [Carmichael] was in trouble. I thought we played really good defense tonight. Once again, we need a big hit and we haven’t been able to get one. There are three things that stick out in my mind throughout the course of the game: bases loaded in the first, we had a 2-0 count, we take [the pitch] and we don’t swing when we’ve been dying to get a hit – we don’t cut the barrel loose. Next thing you know, it’s 2-2 and we fly out to right. He’s [Chris Diaz] not going to walk you there; he’s a Friday night starter for a reason.”

Junior AJ Salcines worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth to collect his second save and secure the victory for senior Eric Nedeljkovic (2-0). The triumph was the first for UM over the Gators since March 6, 2010, in Coral Gables (9-6). Senior Alex San Juan (2-for-4) had opened the scoring in the fourth with a two-run homer and Hurricane sophomore southpaw Chris Diaz tossed seven shutout innings but was not involved in the decision.

Miami threatened in the first inning against junior Jonathon Crawford (Okeechobee, Fla.), as Palmer led off the game with a double down the right-field line and Mack drew a one-out walk. However, the righty had Thompson ground into an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play.

The Gators mounted a two-out rally in the home part of the frame, as sophomore Justin Shafer (Lake Wales, Fla.) (3-for-4) singled to extend his hitting streak to a career-high eight games, redshirt sophomore Zack Powers (Seffner, Fla.) had a base-hit into left field and sophomore Taylor Gushue (Boca Raton, Fla.) drew a walk. Diaz kept the game scoreless by having senior Vickash Ramjit (Miami, Fla.) fly out to right field.

Crawford retired the first two batters of the second inning before San Juan’s liner into center field was ruled a hit instead of a catch by freshman Harrison Bader (Bronxville, N.Y.). Junior Drew Carey earned a free pass and freshman Brandon Lopez (3-for-4) singled into left field to fill the bags with two down for the Hurricanes. Crawford had a grounder by Palmer force Lopez at second base to end the frame.

San Juan provided Miami with a 2-0 lead in the fourth with his first career homer. Junior Brad Fieger had opened the frame with a double to left field and San Juan connected on a big fly to left field with one down to break the ice.

Mack was hit by a pitch to start the fifth and Thompson followed with a single into left field. A sacrifice bunt attempt by Fieger resulted in Mack being thrown out at third base and Crawford kept the Gators’ deficit at two runs by striking out senior Michael Broad and having San Juan pop up to freshman shortstop Richie Martin (Brandon, Fla.).  

Lopez had a one-out single in the sixth but a fly-out by Palmer resulted in a double play when redshirt freshman right fielder Cory Reid (Port St. Lucie, Fla.) threw to Ramjit covering first base.

After Gushue began the home part of the inning with a base-hit, Diaz had Ramjit hit into a 5-4-3 double play and Bader reached on a throwing error by Lopez. Diaz had a grounder by sophomore Josh Tobias (Greensboro, N.C.) force Bader at second base to complete the inning.

Junior Daniel Gibson (Lutz, Fla.) replaced Crawford (season-high 6.0 IP, 8 H, 2 R) prior to the seventh and hit junior Alex Hernandez to start things off. Mack punched a single into right field and Carmichael took over for Gibson. The rookie struck out Thompson, had Fieger fly out to left field and induced an inning-ending grounder by Broad that preserved the 2-0 score.

“I’m really pleased,” O’Sullivan said of Crawford’s outing tonight. “If he can go out there and give us six innings of two-run ball, I feel really good about it. I thought he threw the ball really well. He threw big pitches when he needed to.”

Martin raised his hitting streak to seven games with a one-out single into left field in the bottom of the seventh. However, Diaz had Turgeon fly out and Shafer line out to end the stanza.

Following seven shutout innings by Diaz in which he scattered eight singles, the Gators battled back with two runs to tie the game. Junior Bryan Radziewski took over on the mound and issued a leadoff walk to Powers. A passed ball by San Juan enabled Powers to move into scoring position and Radziewski struck out Gushue. Ramjit cut the deficit in half with an RBI single into left field and went to second base on the relay throw to the plate. Radziewski had Bader fly out to left field for the second out and Nedeljkovic was summoned from the bullpen. On the ninth pitch of freshman pinch hitter Christian Dicks’ (Jacksonville, Fla.) at bat, the reliever induced a pop-up that Lopez dropped, enabling Ramjit to come home with the tying run.

Miami held an 11-9 advantage in hits and the Gators did not commit any errors for the fourth time in the last five games. Led by Shafer’s second three-hit output in a row, seven different Florida players chipped in with at least one hit.

2013 Florida Football Spring Practice Begins March 13

The University of Florida football team is scheduled to begin 2013 spring practices on Wednesday, March 13. The football team will open two practice sessions to the public, on Friday, March 15, and Saturday, March 16 at the Sanders Football Practice Fields.

UF will also host its annual Pro Scout Day on Tuesday, March 12, when former Gator football players are scheduled to work out for NFL scouts and coaches. The on-field portion of the event, beginning at approximately 10:30 a.m., will be open to the public. Fans can enter Ben Hill Griffin Stadium through Gates 2, 6, 15 and 18.

Spring activities will conclude on April 6 with the annual Orange & Blue Debut, presented by Sunniland, at 1:00 p.m. in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

Students, Gator Boosters, Alumni Association members and F Club members all receive free admission to the spring game. A limited supply of free tickets is also available at Florida Farm Bureau agents’ offices. Tickets are currently available for $5 in the Gator ticket office at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium or can be ordered online at GatorZone.com/tickets.

2013 Open Spring Practice Dates

Tuesday, March 12 (Pro Scout Day) – 10:30 a.m. (Ben Hill Griffin Stadium)

Friday, March 15 – 4:35-6:35 p.m. (Sanders Football Practice Fields)

Saturday, March 16 – 1:05-3:00 p.m. (Sanders Football Practice Fields)

No. 4 Gator Softball Cruises by Drake & Mount St. Mary's Friday, Improves to 19-1 to Open Tourney Play at Home

The No. 4 Gator softball squad improved to 19-1 on the year with victories over Drake and Mount St. Mary’s on the first day of UF’s March home tournament Friday at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. Florida defeated the Bulldogs 4-3 and the Mount 8-2 in the doubleheader, the Gators’ first two games of a five-game weekend home stand.

Sophomore pitcher and first baseman Lauren Haeger (Peoria, Ariz.) led UF’s offensive efforts at the plate, going 3-for-7 (.439) on the day with three RBI, including a 2-for-4, two-RBI performance in game two against Mount St. Mary’s. As a team, Florida was aggressive on the base paths, swiping 12-of-13 between the two games. Freshmen Kelsey Stewart (Wichita, Kan.), Taylore Fuller (Trenton, Fla.) and sophomore Jessica Damico (Gray Summit, Mo.) each tallied two stolen bases on the day, while six other Gators swiped one bag apiece.

Sophomore hurler Alyssa Bache (Clearwater, Fla.) (5-0) and Haeger (6-0) both earned wins in the circle Friday, Bache earning the victory in the nightcap over the Mount (0-7) with a career-best 12 strikeouts, while Haeger worked a complete-game for the win against Drake in the first game of UF’s twin bill.

After topping Drake, 4-3, Florida concluded its undefeated day with an 8-2 victory over Mount St. Mary’s. The Gators used a four-run second inning to get things started against the Mount and followed with two runs in the fourth and one each in the fifth and sixth stanzas. UF did a majority of its work against the Mount with two outs, as the first six Gator runs stemmed from two-out Florida rallies. Florida additionally added its eighth run with two down in the top of the sixth.

Bache worked her fifth complete game of the season against Mount St. Mary’s, limiting the Mount to just five hits and two runs on the evening. The righty fanned a career-best 12 batters, while walking just three to notch her fifth victory of the year.

The Gators did work against MSM with two outs in the second, putting together a four-run, three-hit stanza, started by a Fuller single to left field. Fuller then swiped second before classmate Taylor Schwarz (Palm Beach, Fla.) beat out an infield single and swiped a bag of her own to put two runners in scoring position. A sophomore Katie Medina (Downey, Calif.) walk juiced the bags, pressuring the Mount defense to commit an error on freshman Aubree Munro’s (Brea, Calif.) at-bat that plated UF’s first two runs of the game and turned over the Gator lineup.

Next up, Stewart poked a RBI single through the right side for the 3-0 Florida lead. A junior Stephanie Tofft (Lincoln, Calif.) walk loaded the bags again and the Gators were able to capitalize on a Nicole Pagano wild pitch for the fourth run of the inning.

After a scoreless third frame, Haeger then struck for a two out, two-RBI double off the right-center wall in the fourth that extended the Gator lead, 6-0. Damico kept the offense rolling in the fifth with a RBI double – her second two-bagger of the year – that took UF up, 7-0.

The Mount’s Rachel Gavigan put up the first run of the game for Mount St. Mary’s in the bottom of the fifth, striking for a RBI double to narrow UF’s lead, 7-1, but Bache fanned her eighth batter of the game to retire the side.

UF used a leadoff walk from Tofft and a base hit from Haeger for runners on first and second in the sixth before the duo advanced to third and second, respectively on a ball in the dirt. Tofft then scampered home with two outs after an errant throw to third on the play to extend the Gator lead, 8-1.

Cat Clifford battled back for Mount St. Mary’s with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the sixth for an 8-2 ballgame, but Bache forced a foul out, struck with ninth K and forced Alexa Tuck to foul out to retire the side.

Bache then sat down the side in the bottom of the seventh with her 10th, 11th and 12th strikeouts of the contest.

Pagano moved to 0-5 this season with the loss in the circle for the Mount, but fanned 14 Gators and walked another eight through her complete-game effort.

In UF’s first game Friday against the Drake Bulldogs (10-7), the Gators put up two runs in the first frame and one each in the third and sixth innings to top Drake, 4-3, in the back-and-forth battle. Drake scored one run in the second and two in the top of the seventh to keep the contest close.

Game one’s starting pitcher, Haeger put the Gators on the board first with a RBI single through the right side that allowed Stewart to scamper home from third. Florida started the inning hot with a leadoff double from Stewart, followed by a walk for fellow first-year Kirsti Merritt (Lake Panasoffkee, Fla.). After Stewart scored, Merritt was able to manufacture Florida’s second run on a DU defensive miscue that took the Orange and Blue ahead 2-0 after the first inning.

Drake relief pitcher Rebekah Schmidt helped her cause with a solo home run in the top of the second that narrowed the UF margin, 2-1, heading to the home half of the inning.

Senior Kelsey Horton (Valrico, Fla.) went yard in the bottom of the third to add the Gators’ third run of the day and extend the UF advantage, 3-1. For Horton, the homer was her third of the season, tying for first on the Florida squad, and the 29th of her career.

A Tofft RBI double added the fourth and final run for Florida in the bottom of the sixth, but Drake made things interesting in the top of the seventh with a one-out, two-run homer from leadoff hitter Amy Pierce to bring the Bulldogs within one run, 4-3.

Haeger buckled down, though, fanning Zeah Peterson and forcing Hayley Nybo to fly out to close out the victory for the Orange and Blue. Haeger improved to 6-0 in the circle for the Orange and Blue, allowed six hits and Drake’s three runs on the afternoon, while fanning six Bulldog batters in the victory.

Stewart, Haeger, Horton and Tofft accounted for UF’s four hits in the contest, while Drake put up six, led by Pierce’s 2-for-3 afternoon.

Bulldog starting pitcher Jordan Gronewold (6-4) shouldered the loss for Drake after giving up UF’s first two hits and runs of the game before Schmidt came on for 5.1 innings of relief.

Women's Tennis Defeats Missouri in SEC Opener, 6-1

The fourth-ranked University of Florida women’s tennis team opened its Southeastern Conference schedule with a 6-1 win against Missouri at the Green Tennis Center on Friday evening.

The Gators (7-1, 1-0 SEC) secured the doubles point to begin the match and then captured singles victories on courts one, two, three, five and six to earn their 37th consecutive conference win.

With only four courts inside the Green Tennis Center, courts one through four began action and Florida took charge early.

Senior Lauren Embree (Marco Island, Fla.) won her 24th straight singles dual match with a 6-2, 6-1 decision against Cierra Gaytan-Leach. The win was Embree’s 102nd on the court after she had posted her 104th on the doubles court in the clinching match and moved into a tie with Traci Green and Zerene Reyes for 13th in UF history with a combined 206 wins. Embree also improved her singles record to 30-0 in SEC regular-season dual matches.

Junior Sofie Oyen (Belgium) earned a 6-2, 6-2 win over Rachel Stuhlmann at the number two position for her 20th-victory of the year.

Junior Alexandra Cercone (Seminole, Fla.) was the third Gator off the court and collected the 80th singles win of her career with the 6-2, 6-3 victory over Elisha Gabb and secured the dual match victory in the first-ever meeting between the Gators and Tigers (6-2, 0-1 SEC).

Missouri avoided the shutout as Maria Christensen knocked off freshman Brianna Morgan (Beverly Hills, Calif.), 6-2, 6-4.

Freshman Danielle Collins (St. Petersburg, Fla.) kept the success rolling for Florida with a 6-1, 6-1 mark against Alex Clark on court five, before senior Caroline Hitimana (Belgium) earned a 6-4, 6-2 win against Madison Rhyner for the 65th singles win of her career as well as her 27th consecutive dual match singles victory in improving to 40-4 in career dual match singles action.

On the doubles court, Collins and Olivia Janowicz (Palm Bay, Fla.) defeated Maria Christensen and Rachel Stuhlmann, 8-5 for the first individual win of the event, before Embree and Oyen downed Ciera Gaytan-Leach and Elisha Gabb, 8-5 to clinch the doubles point. The doubles win was the 50th of Janowicz’s career.