Gators Baseball Dominates FAMU

The third-ranked Florida Gators baseball team on Tuesday night only needed six-and-a-half innings at Condron Family Ballpark to defeat Florida A&M. The Gators run-ruled the Rattlers 17-7 after a three-run sixth inning gave them the needed 10-run lead and Clete Hartzog retired all three batters faced in the top of the seventh.

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Additionally, the Gators hit three home runs and plated eight total runs in the second inning to give them an early 11-2 lead. Jac Caglianone went 2-for-2 with a home run and four RBIs. Caglianone’s three-run slam was his 22nd of the season and gave the Gators a 7-2 lead in the second inning.

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Luke Heyman plated four more runs off of a solo home run and three sacrifice fly-outs.

Defensively, Yoel Tejeda Jr. picked up his first win on the mound after only allowing three hits and two earned runs in 69 pitches. Three of his four innings pitched were scoreless.

Early runs in the first

Florida immediately put the bats to work after blanking Florida A&M to open the game.

Michael Robertson walked and Wyatt Langford singled to start the frame. Caglianone plated his first run of the night with a sacrifice fly. After a single from Josh Rivera, Heyman flied out to score Langford from third, and Tyler Shelnut doubled to score Rivera.

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Florida A&M created some chaos in the second inning after back-to-back home runs from Sebastian Greico and Adam Haidermota made it a one-run game.

Dominance in the Second

The gates blew wide open for the Gators with an eight-run frame following the Rattlers’ runs. Florida hit three total home runs in the second including a pair of three-run jacks from Caglianone and Deric Fabian.

Wyatt Langford started the scoring off with a RBI double to score one after Fabian walked and Michael Robertson singled. Two pitches later, Caglianone gave the Gators a 7-2 lead with a three-run home run.

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— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) April 18, 2023

Freshman Luke Heyman got the start behind the plate and contributed to the Gators’ high-scoring inning with a solo shot two batters later. A Tyler Shelnut single and Dale Thomas double put two runners in scoring position, and Fabian smacked his first home run of the season to plate all three.

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The Gators put themselves in run-rule territory in the third inning. Heyman scored one off a sacrifice fly and Shelnut scored another after reaching first base on a throwing error. Florida led 13-2 after three innings of work.

Rattlers bite back

Florida A&M bit right back in the fifth inning with a four-run frame. Fisher Jameson took the mound for the Gators and struggled immediately. Five of his first six batters faced reached base off of hits, and the Rattlers scored all four runs through that portion.

Jared Weber knocked a RBI base hit with two on base to score the first. From there, Ty Hanchey tripled to bring home two more. Finally, Janmikell Bastardo singled to score the fourth run in the frame. Jameson was able to strike out the next two batters to end the top half of the inning, but not before the Rattlers cut the lead to and briefly delay a run-rule ending.

Florida would add one more run in the bottom half after Dale Thomas plated Tucker Talbott on a ground out. Florida A&M bit into the Gators’ lead once more after Joseph Pierini doubled to bring home Ty Jackson and make the score 14-7.

Gators seal a quick win

The Gators were able to regain their double-digit lead in the sixth inning behind RBIs from Colby Halter and Luke Heyman as well as Talbott scoring on a passed ball.

Robertson walked, single Richie Schiekofer singled and Tucker Talbott was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Halter’s singled gave Florida an eight-run lead and reloaded the bases with no outs. Heyman’s third sacrifice fly-out of the night put the Gators within striking distance of a run-rule victory.

A passed ball two batters later scored Talbott and put the Gators up 10 and three outs away from the victory. Clete Hartzog took the mound and quickly retired all three Rattlers’ to seal the midweek win.

Next up

The Gators hit the road for a three-game series at sixth-ranked South Carolina beginning on Thursday. Game one begins at 7:30 p.m. with radio coverage on WRUF beginning at 7:25 p.m.