The trip to Oxford did not end well for the Gators. Florida dropped both games of Saturday’s doubleheader to Ole Miss. The Gators (21-13, 4-7 SEC) were throttled in game one 16-4 and then blew an 8-0 lead in game two, falling 12-10 in that contest.
Game one:
The bats were hot for Ole Miss (23-10, 8-4 SEC) for the second day in a row. The Rebels used 20 hits to score 16 runs on the Gators, picking up a 16-4 win to take the series from Florida.
The Rebels used a six-run fifth inning to distance themselves from Florida and take an 11-1 lead that proved to be insurmountable.
Florida made it tight in the fourth though, making it a 3-1 game when Jud Fabian singled to center field that scored Nelson Maldonado.
However, Rebel starting pitcher Doug Nikhazy kept the Gators off the scoreboard over the next two innings while his offense built a double-digit lead.
Nikhazy went six innings, allowing only one run on seven hits while striking out six Gators.
Pitching was once again the downfall for Florida. Starter Tyler Dyson allowed five runs, although none were earned, in three and a third innings of work. He did however walk four batters and allow a wild pitch that scored the games opening run.
Relief pitcher Hunter Ruth struggled in Dyson’s place, allowing 10 runs on 12 hits.
Grae Kessinger paced the Rebel offense, going 5-5 with five RBIs. Thomas Dillard also had four base hits while Anthony Servideo drove in three runs and went 3-3.
The Gators were able to muster some runs in the top of eighth to make the score slightly more respectable. Kris Armstrong led off the inning with a pinch-hit double and scored when Wil Dalton smacked a double of his own to left field.
Austin Langworthy drove in two more runs later in the frame, doubling to right field that brought home Jordan Butler and Dalton, making it 16-4.
Nelson Maldonado went 2-3 on the day, while Armstrong had a pair of base hits. In total, Florida strung together 14 hits, a total that tends to lead to wins. However, the Gators were unable to string those hits together and push more runs across the plate.
Game two:
The second game of the doubleheader was about as bizarre a baseball game as there could be. The Gators and Rebels combined for 22 runs and 24 hits in a game that featured Florida blowing a 8-0 lead, Ole Miss squandering a lead of their own, and a rain delay that lasted over an hour.
In the end, Ole Miss was able to hold on and sweep the Gators with a 12-10 win in game three of the series.
The game started about as well as it could for the Gators. Christian Scott got his first SEC start of his career and the freshman came out firing early. Scott allowed only one base hit in the first three innings of the game and struck out five Rebel batters.
Florida’s bats started stringing hits together as well. The Gators jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the third. After Brady McConnell singled and Cory Acton doubled to put runners on second and third, Kendrick Calilao broke open the scoring. The freshman ripped a ground ball under the glove of Ole Miss third baseman Tyler Keenan that scored two runs.
The bases became loaded after Austin Langworthy walked and Wil Dalton was hit by a pitch. Jud Fabian then made it 4-0, slapping a two-run single to left field.
Florida doubled the lead an inning later. McConnell and Acton once again started the inning off, singling and doubling. Ole Miss then elected to intentionally walk Nelson Maldonado to load the bases.
Rebel relief pitcher Conner Green then walked Calilao, bringing home McConnell and making it 5-0. Langworthy then made it 6-0, hitting a sacrifice fly to center field that brought Acton home.
A batter later, Dalton ripped a double down the left-field line that scored Maldonado and Calilao, making it 8-0 Florida.
However, the Rebels would not go away without a fight.
Cole Zabowski made it 8-2 in the bottom of the fourth, blasting a solo home run to right field off Scott.
An inning later, calamity happened. Ole Miss began the bottom of the fifth stringing three straight singles together, capitalized by Grae Kessinger knocking in Anthony Servideo to make it 8-3.
Then, lightning struck. The game was halted with no outs in the fifth for over an hour due to a thunder storm moving through Oxford.
Once play resumed, the Rebels continued their comeback. Nolan Crisp took over for Scott and squandered the lead. Crisp walked the first three batters he faced, allowing two runs to score, making it 8-5.
Knox Loposer then cut the lead to one, hitting a double to left field that scored two runs and made it 8-7.
The game would be tied at 8-8 when Kevin Graham grounded out, bringing home Zabowski.
The Rebels tacked on two more runs in the inning on RBI singled from Cockrell and Olenak, scoring eight runs in the frame to take a 10-8 lead.
Florida would immediately answer, dropping a pair of runs in the top of the sixth to tie the game 10-10. Maldonado hit his sixth home run of the season, hitting a blast to left-field that made it 10-9.
Calilao then singles, followed by a Langworthy double that put runners on second and third. A wild pitch then scored Calilao, knotting the game up at 10-10.
Ole Miss though would snatch the lead back. Zabowski and Graham led off the inning hitting back-to-back singles that put runners on the corner. Crisp then made a critical mistake and was called for a balk. That brought Zabowski home and gave Ole Miss a 11-10 lead.
The Rebels would add an insurance run in the seventh. Servideo began the inning by smoking a triple to right-center field and scored on Olenak’s double, making it 12-10.
The Gators had a chance in the top of the eighth, putting runners on the corners but were unable to capitalize.
Ole Miss handed Florida its second SEC road sweep of the season with the win. Florida allowed 40 runs and 49 hits over the weekend.
Florida combined for 12 hits, getting three from McConnell and two a piece from Acton, Calilao and Langworthy. Dalton and Fabian drove in two runs each.
Florida will now travel to Florida State on Tuesday night before hosting South Carolina in an SEC series.
Stay tuned to GatorsTerritory.
