Florida baseball vs Kentucky Wildcats Mother’s Day final score, recap

Joshua Whritenour came in to close out the game. He gave up a leadoff homer to Brown — his first hit of the series — but it was all routine after that. Jenkins grounded out to short, Cloud struck out looking at a 92-mph slider — he was definitely waiting on a 100-mph heater — and Marcy grounded out to third. Surowiec made a nice play to secure the series win.

Florida didn’t do much in the eighth, but it’s all about closing things out at this point with a four-run cushion. Surowiec flied out to right field, McDonald was hit by a pitch, Bowen struck out swinging and Stripling flied out to left. Oh yeah, Kentucky used another pitcher, right-hander Burkely Bounds. That’s eight over as many innings.

(E8: Florida 9, Kentucky 5)

McDonald came out for his fourth inning of work and picked up right where he left off in the seventh. He struck out Bell swinging on a well-placed fastball on the inside corner. Larence flied out to center field, and Van Cleave grounded out to short.

That’s 4 1/3 innings of no-hit, no-walk ball with six strikeouts. He retired 12 batters in a row. In other words, McDonald was elite.

(M8: Florida 9, Kentucky 5)

Leadoff hits are always a good thing, and Cade Kurland was rewarded for his single to open the bottom of the seventh. Cash Strayer doubled softly down the right field line on a jam shot, and Hayden Yost and Blake Cyr drove both runners in with sacrifice flies. Lawson grounded out to second to end the inning.

(E7: Florida 9, Kentucky 5)

Caden McDonald has faced one more than the minimum through 3 1/3 innings. The only baserunner he’s allowed was the error to open the fifth, and that’s not on him. In the seventh, Marcy grounded out to third, Campbell flied out to center field and Tharnish grounded out to short. It took McDonald just seven pitches to get through it.

(M7: Florida 7, Kentucky 5)

To nobody’s surprise, Kentucky made another pitching change in the sixth. Jack Bennett is the new arm. Ethan Surowiec singled into right field to open the frame, but Bennett got the next three Gators in a row. McDonald flied out to right, Bowen strukc out waving at a slider, and Stripling tapped one back to the mound for an easy third out.

(E6: Florida 7, Kentucky 5)

Caden McDonald continues to roll in relief of Sandefer. He went three-up, three down in the sixth, striking out the first two batters of the inning — both looking. Cloud grounded out to third. No error from Surowiec this time around.

(M6: Florida 7, Kentucky 5)

Kentucky made another pitching change before the bottom of the fifth. That’s six pitchers in five innings for those scoring at home — or even if you’re alone. Left-hander Jackson Soucie is the new arm.

Stripling flied out to left, and Kurland notched his first base knock of the game. Strayer nearly grounded into a double play, but he beat out the throw. Yost dropped one into right field, with the defense playing him deep after the home run. shallow.

Cyr caught a pitch off the elbow guard, although just barely. Lawson couldn’t drive anyone in with the bases loaded, though.

(E5: Florida 7, Kentucky 5)

Caden McDonald worked around a leadoff error in the fifth. Another booted ball at third by Surowiec, but it’s Lawson at shortstop that drew some concern as he slipped on the wet infield — yes, it’s raining again — and fell awkwardly. Lawson seems fine, so that’s a relief, and Kentucky didn’t do anything with the baserunner, Tharnish.

Bell lined out to center field, LAwrence strukc out swinging on three pitches and Van Cleave struck out swinging as well. Tharnish stole second right before the final pitch. He was initially ruled out, but a review overturned the call. It didn’t matter as McDonald needed just one more pitch to end the inning. He walked off the mound with some swagger after that ordeal.

(M5: Florida 7, Kentucky 5)

Florida wasted no time evening the score. Cash Strayer singled into left, and Hayden Yost went deep to right field. Van Cleave nearly robbed it, but it was just out of reach. It came off the bat at 97 mph and went 330 feet. Tie ball game.

Blake Cyr flied out to right, and Kentucky was ready to go to the bullpen. Left-hander Toby Peterson came in to face Brendan Lawson. He couldn’t get the job done and walked Lawson before getting the hook. This was just a matchup thing, so Peterson was probably only going to face Lawson with three right-handers following Lawson.

Ira Austin IV took over and got two of those three righties, but the one he didn’t was a big one. Caden McDonald crushed a two-run homer to give Florida the lead. Van Cleave didn’t have a chance at this one — 104 mph exit velocity, 395 feet.

(E4: Florida 7, Kentucky 5)

Sandefer struggled out of the gate in the fourth. He gave up a hard-hit double into right-center to Lawrence, and Van Cleave sent one back up the middle for an RBI that didn’t need a throw. Brown walked on four pitches, prompting a mound visit from Kevin O’Sullivan. Whatever he said worked, as Sandefer got a double-play ball right after. Unfortunately, he couldn’t get out of the inning without giving up more runs.

Another walk, this one coming on five pitches, set up a three-run, go-ahead homer from Marcy. Caden McDonald took over on the mound after that and got Campbell swinging for strike three and the third out.

(M4: Kentucky 5,Florida 3)

Caden McDonald worked the count full and won an eight-pitch battle against Mattison for a leadoff walk in the bottom of the third. Karson Bowen nearly hit into a double play, but the throw from second was rushed and pulled the first baseman off the bag. It goes down as a fielder’s choice instead.

Landon Stripling hit one on the screws to first base, but it ricocheted off the glove of Marcy and went right to Lawrence, who was ranging over to the right as every second baseman should on that play. Unconventional, but it’s a 3-4-3 out instead of runners on the corners with one out.

Cade Kurland didn’t have a great at-bat. Both balls he made contact with were tall foul balls. The first landed in Kentucky’s dugout, but the second stayed in play for an out.

(E3: Florida 3, Kentucky 1)

Sandefer has looked sharp ever since that first inning single. Tharnish singled again in the third with two outs, but it was the result of a ground ball finding third base and taking a funny hop on Surowiec. No problem. He got the other three batters with relative ease. Will Marcy flied out to center field for the first out. Scott Campbell chased some high cheese for the second, and Bell lined out to deep right-center to end the inning.

(M3: Florida 3, Kentucky 1)

Kentucky made another pitching change in the second inning, giving the ball to Connor Mattison. He’s a heavy changeup guy, which threw off the Gators’ offense briefly, but he got into trouble anyway. Cash Strayer reached on an error, swinging at the first pitch of the inning and forcing a high throw from the third baseman.

Hayden Yost flied out to left after fouling off three straight pitches, but Blake Cyr blooped a ball into left to put two on. Mattison lost his grip and threw one of the ugliest wild pitches possible. Both runners moved up a bag easily. Brendan Lawson took a ball off the foot to load the bases, but Ethan Surowiec grounded into 4-3 double play to end the inning without scoring any runs. Disappointing.

(E2: Florida 3, Kentucky 1)

After the offense scores, pitchers are expected to go out there and get them back on the field quickly. That’s exactly what Sandefer did, going three up, three down in the second. Hudson Brown and Owen Jenkins both flied out, and Caedan Cloud waved at the slider for strike three. Excellent stuff from the junior to get Florida’s offense back on the field.

(M2: Florida 3, Kentucky 1)

Blake Cyr is in the leadoff spot today after Cade Kurland struggled there yesterday. Cyr popped up to short for the first out, but the offense exploded after that. Brendan Lawson hit a no-doubt home run to right field. He is officially back in business.

Ethan Surowiec singled up the middle, and Caden McDonald pushed one through the right side to keep the pressure on Nate Harris. Karson Bowen doubled into the right-center gap to bring Surowiec around and give Florida the lead.

That was the end of the day for Nate Harris. Nick Mingione came out and made the signal to the bullpen. Kentucky will try the Leighton Harris — no relation.

Landon Stripling kept the hit train rolling with a fifth-straight base knock. His single up the middle drove in McDonald and moved Bowen to third. Kurland grounded into a double play, though, ending the inning.

(E1: Florida 3, Kentucky 1)

Just like on Saturday night, Kentucky jumped on Florida in the first inning. Jayce Tharnish took the first pitch of the game back up the middle for a single, stole second and moved to third on a lineout to center field from Tyler Bell. Luke Lawrence drove in Tharnish with a sacrifice fly to left field. Cyr got the throw to home quickly, but Tharnish slid in safely just before the tag.

Sandefer limited the damage by inducing an inning-ending groundout to second base against Braxton Van Cleave.

(M1: Kentucky 1, Florida 0)