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GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida baseball team had a role reversal with Kentucky on Friday, proving it can be anybody’s day at this point in the season. After losing 12-4 to the Wildcats the previous night, the Gators came back and dominated in a 14-3 win.
With the “W” the Gators (39-15, 20-9) remain tied for first place in the Southeastern Conference standings with LSU (38-17, 20-9). Saturday’s rubber match will be a decider for not only the conference but the division; the loss pushed Kentucky (38-17, 19-10) back a game.
#GatorsWIN 14-3 to even the series!!!
HUGE bounce back from Thursday's loss. #Gators and LSU are tied at 20-9 in SEC play with 1 game left. pic.twitter.com/NWJmHCQVjD
— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) May 20, 2017
Paired with an explosive offense, pitcher Brady Singer worked his usual stuff, helping the team to a win. Singer finished the night after seven innings, registering eight strikeouts and giving up the Cats three runs on five hits.
HUGE STRIKEOUT from Singer!!!
He got in a jam with 3 walks, but escapes without any damage!
M4 | #Gators 6, UK 0 pic.twitter.com/GyvLP4kabr
— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) May 20, 2017
At the plate, the Gators consistently put runs on the board each frame, starting off in the second with a two-run home run by Mark Kolozsvary. The hit flew out to right field and Kentucky’s Tristan Pompey made a stab at it but it tipped off of his glove and over the wall.
Florida tacked on four more runs the following inning, one in the fourth and then four again in the fifth frame. The wealth of hits at the plate were spread out among Kolozsvary, Dalton Guthrie and Jonathan India — all racking up three hits a piece. Kolozsvary drew a bases load walk later in the game to make it around to home again and lead the team in RBIs with five. Deacon Liput was right behind him with four ribbies off of two sacrifice flies and double.
Kentucky tacked on their runs late in the game, notching a few off of Singer. Kole Cottam hit a two-run homer and Pompey singled to left center for an RBI.
Three-way tie for 1st Place in the SEC:
Florida 19-9
Kentucky 19-9
LSU 19-9It all comes down to the final 2 days of the regular season. pic.twitter.com/vchCqpRh5q
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) May 19, 2017
A Significant Saturday in the SEC
The series will end with a Saturday showdown at 1 p.m. Listen to ESPN 98.1 FM/ 850 AM WRUF’s live broadcast or watch on SEC Network+ to stay up to date on the action. LSU competes with Mississippi State in the final game of their series and other teams are jockeying for position for next week’s SEC Tournament so all the games to end the year will have some kind of meaning for all but two teams, Alabama and Tennessee, who will not be doing to the postseason.
