Gator Baseball Drops Game To Liberty University

The Florida Gator baseball team  (1-1) fell to the Liberty Flames (1-1) Saturday night at McKethan Field, losing 6-4.  The Flames would take the lead early and not relinquish it.

Mistakes Costly for Gators Pitching

Even though the final score was close, it could have been worse because Gator pitchers gave up six walks and hit five batters in the game, but to their credit, they worked out of most of the jams they got into during the game.  Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said they were “fortunate” to only lose by two runs despite giving up those 11 free trips to first base.  However, Florida hurlers also struck out 11 batters on the night.

The Gators used a total of five pitchers on the night, including three freshmen. They started off with sophomore lefty Timmy Manning. He allowed four earned runs, but only went three innings before being relieved by sophomore righty Brandon Sproat who went the next two innings. The rest of the pitching on the night came from freshmen. They would have on-and-off moments, but, ultimately, they kept the Gators in the game.

The pitching may not have been at its best today, but junior outfielder Jud Fabian has faith, especially for the freshmen.

Gator Bats Struggle

The Gator bats had a hard time getting on base and putting runs across the plate, as they only had six hits on the night.  While there were bright spots at the plate in this game for Florida, it was inconsistent. They were able to score runs in consecutive innings (third and fourth innings) once, and the Gators did manage to tie the score at 4-4 after four innings but they would not score for the rest of the contest.  The Liberty pitchers seemed to effectively hit their spots when they needed to.

One of the bright spots came from Jud Fabian when he knocked in two runs in the fourth inning with a double to right-center field . This double would tie the game up at 4-4.

WE ARE 𝗧𝗜𝗘𝗗!!!

Two-run double for @judfabe.

LU 4, UF 4 | B4#GoGators | 📺: https://t.co/7ijwdgf1YU pic.twitter.com/s4p6CGOOox

— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) February 19, 2022

O’Sullivan and Fabian both applauded the Liberty pitchers.

Ending off the weekend

The Florida Gators will be finishing off the weekend hoping to win the series. They will be back on Sunday for the rubber game of the series at 12 p.m. Florida will start freshman lefty Pierce Coppola on the mound against the Flames.

Game two final.

Presented by @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/zJkJw1yYdS

— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) February 20, 2022