Gators notch 13th comeback win of the 2023 season
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — For the 13th time this season the Florida Gators needed to come from behind to take home a victory. The Gators (25-5) used 11 hits and eight runs to hold off the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats on Tuesday.
It was a shaky start to the game. Pitching for the first time since March 7, Yoel Tejada got a quick out before walking a batter. On an 0-1 count, Tejada threw up on the mound. He would stay in the game, commit an error and then surrender a three-run home run before retiring the next two batters he faced.
The Gators’ offense picked him up, plating two in the bottom half of the inning. The Gators putting two runners on with a Michael Robertson single and Wyatt Langford double. Jac Caglianone drove both Gators home with an RBI single through the right side, cutting the BCU advantage to 3-2.
The Gators tied the game in the second inning. Ty Evans tripled and scored on a Rene Lastres groundout.
Using a pair of sacrifice flies, Florida grabbed its first lead of the night in the fourth. Robertson and Langford drove in the runs, as Lastres and Dale Thomas scored to make it 5-3.
Bethune-Cookman got one run back in the sixth, loading up the bases with Jeremy Garcia plating Boris Pena on a sacrifice fly to right field. Florida responded in the bottom of the seventh, using a Rivera RBI single and three-run, opposite-field homer from BT Riopelle to extend the lead to 8-4.
After relievers Nick Ficarrotta and Chris Arroyo combined for three scoreless innings, southpaw Philip Abner entered for the Orange & Blue to close it out in the ninth. The sophomore…
Florida reliever Clete Hartzog (1-0) collected his first win as a Gator. The right-hander allowed one run across one inning on one hit and three walks while striking out one.
Next up for the Gators
The No. 3 Florida Gators will hit the road on Wednesday for a three-game set against the No. 11 Tennessee Volunteers. Florida was swept at home last year by the Vols. All three games will be on linear television.
Date-TimeChannel Thursday – 8:00 PM ESPNUFriday – 7:00 PM SEC NetworkSaturday – 2:00 PM ESPN2
Notes
Florida posted its 13th comeback win of the season, tying last year’s 66-game total.Florida improved to 18-3 in non-conference play this season.UF is 37-6 across its previous 43 non-conference games.Hartzog notched his first-career victory on the mound.Making his fourth career start, Tejeda Jr tossed a career-high four innings, allowing three runs (zero earned) on two hits and two walks.Robertson extended his team-leading on-base streak to 27 games.Florida has struck out 321 batters in 251 innings – translating to 11.5 per nine innings.Through 30 games, Florida has a run differential of plus-145.The Gators have scored in 124 of 238 batted innings this season (52.1%).The Gators have 336 hits through 30 games (11.2 hits/game).Florida improved to 36-1 all-time against Bethune-Cookman including 16-1 under Head Coach Kevin O’Sullivan.The Gators are 35-1 in the series at home (16-1 under O’Sullivan).
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