Florida baseball vs. High Point live blog updates, score, highlights

Left-hander Dalton Hitt came in to close out the game for High Points and got a pair of quick outs. He struck out Cash Strayer on five pitches and got Cole Stanford to line out to third. He hit Landon Stripling, who advanced to second on a wild pitch, and walked Colton Schwarz, but that’s where the rally ended. Hayden Yost grounded into a game-ending fielder’s choice at second.

Jackson Hoyt came back out to start the ninth, but he was pulled after giving up a leadoff single and walking the next batter on four straight pitches. Another lefty freshman, Eli Blair, replaced Hoyt and loaded the bases on a bunt single that was slightly misplayed by Ethan Surowiec at third.

Blair recovered with a groundball back to Surowiec, who made the throw home. He struck out Lane Allen on three pitches and got a ground ball to get out of the inning, but he didn’t cover the bag in time!

Landen Johnson’s grounder hit off Landon Stripling’s glove at first, and Colton Schwarz recovered it with a chance to make the play. Blair wasn’t to the bag yet, though, so Schwarz took off and dove for the bag. He was half a second late and came up lame on the play. Two runs score, and Florida now needs five in the bottom of the ninth to keep this game going. Good effort from Schwarz; bad mental mistake from Blair.

Christian Smith grounded out on a tapper in front of the catcher to end the inning.

Wade Walton’s night is finished after 107 pitches. Tyler Shafer took over for him in the eighth and gave up a line drive single to Kyle Jones, who finally found grass after making good contact all night. Brendan Lawson moved him over to second on a groundball to second that required a diving stop by Frank Kelly. Ethan Surowiec fouled a few off before striking out on a slider, and Karson Bowen flew out to left-center to end the threat.

Jackson Hoyt came out to throw the eighth for Florida and retired the side in order. He got Christian Smith and Jake McCarter swinging on mid-80s sliders, and Seojun Oh grounded out to first. Hoyt struggled in his first two appearances, but he looked very good this time out. His fastball came in at 93 mph, and his secondary pitches looked exceptional. Kevin O’Sullivan has been looking for opportunities to boost Hoyt’s confidence, and this should do the trick.

Walton continued to deal agaisnt the Gators. He got Cole Stanford to ground out to third for the first out on two pitches. The only Florida batter to hit him consistently has been Landon Stripling, who singled up the middle for his third knock of the game. Striplking moved up to second on a wild pitch, but Colton Schwarz and Hayden Yost both grounded to strand him there. Schwarz and Yost both made good contact, but they were hard-hit balls to fielders.

Luco-Canchola stayed out for one more batter before turning things over to Jackson Barberi in the seventh. Barberi walked Jace Kohler to start, but he bounced back with a couple of nice sliders to strike out pinch-hitter E’Mar Fleming, who will take over behind the plate for High Point.

The No. 9 hitter, Frank Kelly, laid down a perfect bunt to third that was initially called an out, but the umpiring crew correctly overturned it after a challenge. That set up the lead-off man, Willie Ponce, to drop one into shallow center for an RBI and give High Point the lead again.

Lane Allen went to the same spot, and this one scored both runners, thanks to a swiped bag from Ponce.

Landen Johnson got a little more exit velocity on his liner to center, which mercifully found the glove of Kyle Jones for the third out.

Kyle Jones just can’t buy a hit tonight. He lined out straight to center in his first at-bat, was robbed by a diving stop at third in his second — even though it did score a run — and he lined out hard to left this time around. Sometimes, that’s how baseball goes.

Brendan Lawson took matters into his own hands with a no-doubt home run to right-center, his sixth of the year.

High Point’s associate head coach went out to talk to Walton after blowing an 0-2 count to walk Ethan Surowiec, but they left him in the game. Surowiec was caught trying to steal second, which cost Florida a run.

Karson Bowen nearly left the yard in the next at-bat, but he settled for a double that popped out of the left fielder’s glove as he crashed into the wall. It should have been an RBI double. Instead, Cash Strayer flied out to shallow center field to leave the game tied.

Liam Peterson has been excellent in his last three starts, but he can’t seem to get through the sixth inning. The nine-hole hitter, Frank Kelly, broke up the no-hitter with a hit-and-run through the right side. Colton Schwarz was covering the tag, opening up the hole, but the odds of Peterson finishing the no-no, even with that out, were slim. Peterson started the sixth off with his fourth walk of the night, and all those strikeouts ran his pitch count into the 90s.

Russell Sandefer took over for Peterson with men on the corners and no outs, and it didn’t go so well. He walked the bases loaded on five pitches and threw a wild pitch to tie the game.

Landen Johnson grounded out to second. Schwarz didn’t have a play to the plate and had to go to first for an out instead. Bowen went out to stall for the bullpen, and Kevin O’Sullivan came out to make another move. Both runs are charged to Peterson and he is in line for the loss.

Ernesto Lugo-Canchol took over and got back-to-back strikeouts on nine straight breaking balls.

Walton froze Cole Stanford for a looking strikeout to open the bottom of the fifth, but Landon Stripling took a 2-0 heater into right-center for a one-out double. Colton Schwarz moved him over to third with a groundout to third, but Hayden Yost couldn’t drive him in. Yost made strong contact off Walton, but it was a liner right to Christian Smith in center field, similar to Jones’ leadoff lineout in the first.

Things could have gone badly for Peterson in the fifth after starting the inning with three straight balls to Seojun Oh, but he dropped his fastball velocity to 94 mph and induced an unassisted out to first to recover. He struck out Jace Kohler and Justin Ruiz to hit 11 for the second time this season and record his second 1-2-3 inning of the game.

After stumbling in the third, Walton returned to his dominant form in the fourth, retiring the Gators in order for the third time. Ethan Surowiec skied one a mile in the air for a flyout in right-center, Karson Bowen tapped one to second for a 4-3 groundout and Cash Strayer swung over a running 93-mph fastball on the outer edge.

Walton continues to impress, and Sully should take notice with the transfer portal being what it is these days.

Peterson started off the fourth with another swinging strikeout on that slider against Lane Allen, but he lost control a bit after that. He threw seven straight balls, even with Karson Bowen coming out to talk to him, but he fought back to strike out Christian Smith. Strike three came on a ball that got away from Bowen, but an appeal confirmed the swing, and Smith stood there confused as Bowen recovered and tagged him out.

Kevin O’Sullivan came out to talk to Peterson for a second, and the ace settled down for a three-pitch strikeout, No. 9 on the day.

After being kept off the bases in the first two frames, Florida got to Walton early in the third inning. Landon Stripling went up the middle for a base hit, and Colton Schwarz pushed one through the right side for back-to-back hits. Hayden Yost executed a sacrifice bunt perfectly to move both runners over, and Kyle Jones brought in Stripling with a groundout to third base, where the only play was to first.

Walton bounced back with a 92-mph heater to strike out Brendan Lawson and end the inning, though.

The breaking balls are working for Peterson early tonight. He struck out two with the curveball in the first and has set down four more on sliders out of the zone, including Justin Ruiz and Frank Kelly this inning. Any MLB scout in attendance has to be loving what they are seeing from Peterson. It’s a far cry from that bizarre opening-night start he had agaisnt UAB.

Colton Schwarz made a nice glove flip play on a tricky, soft grounder hit toward the gap between first and second, giving Peterson his first true 1-2-3 inning of the night.

Walton retired the side in order for a second straight inning. He struck out Bowen looking, even if he did get a generous strike two call on an offspeed pitch low and outside. Cash Strayer hit one to first, and Walton covered just in time. Then, he made a play on a tapper back to him by Cole Stanford, tossing an easy underhand to first for the third out.

Walton’s only at 21 pitches and mixing them effectively against Florida. An impressive outing by the Florida native.

Peterson got Smith to fly out to deep center field on a 96-mph heater, his slowest of the day. Smith fouled one off his knee earlier in the at-bat and needed a moment to collect himself. Peterson attacked Jake McCarter with two sliders near the zone for early strikes before going up to 98 on the fastball for a foul. He went right back to the slider, this time with more movement and way off the plate for a swinging strike three.

Seojun Oh won a seven-pitch battle on a low ball four after fouling off strike three. Peterson dipped to 95 mph during that at-bat, but went back up to 97-98 against Jace Kohler, whom he struck out on three pitches — ending it on that out-of-the-zone slider.

Wade Walton is sitting in the low-90s (91-93 mph) early, which is a good speed for Florida to hit. Kyle Jones and Brendan Lawson both squared balls up to center field, but they found Christian Smith for outs. Ethan Surwoiec got jammed for a soft lineout to shortstop, giving Walton a 1-2-3 frame to start the game.

Liam Peterson came out sitting 97 mph and touching 99 a few times, setting up his 83-mph 12-6 curveball for a pair of strikeouts on HighPoint’s leadoff man, Willie Ponce, and No. 3 hitter, Landen Johnson. Peterson walked the second batter, Lane Allen, but Karson Bowen caught him taking too big a lead for a backpick down to first.

Bowen’s pick saves Peterson some pitches early and keeps him facing the minimum.

Florida’s series opener against High Point on Friday night is delayed. The new start time is 7 p.m. ET.