Florida loses to Troy Gainesville Regional Championship, final score

Dill climbs back up on the hill to get the final three outs in the ninth and starts off by jamming Surowiec in on his hands for a grounder to the right side that the second baseman boots on the outfield grass for an error. McDonald follows that with his second home run of the day and the Gators are not ready to surrender just yet.

The Trojans’ bullpen is active with Bowen at the plate; he hits a grounder to the right side that is fielded by the second baseman right about where he made the earlier error, but instead, this is thrown to first for out No. 1. Stripling sends a liner into left that is fielded for the second out and Kurland pops up the very next pitch to the shortstop near the mound to end the game.

Barlow begins his third inning of work by retiring Nelson on a flyout to straightaway center before getting Darnell to ground out to the shortstop. Boroff works the count full before lining a two-out single to left field. That brings up Markham, who flies out to deep center to end the inning.

(E8: Florida 9, Troy 16)

Right-hander Matt Dill is now in the game for Troy to face Stripling, who hits a high fly ball into shallow left field that a back-pedalling third baseman can’t catch, falling for a single and loading the bases. Two pitches later, Kurland cranks a grand slam on a hanging 80 mph slider over the right field fence to cut the lead to seven.

Yost follows him by working the count full before drawing a six-pitch walk. Troy’s coach comes out to counsel his pitcher as Florida’s batting order returns to the top. Jones gives an 0-2 pitch a ride way out to left field, but it veers just foul; instead of a home run, he strikes out looking at a 91 mph fastball with armside action that comes back to nip the outside edge of the zone.

With one out and one on, Lawson steps up to the plate and works the count full before sending the ball out to left field just in front of the warning track for out No. 2. Cyr works a full count but goes down swinging at a 93 mph fastball that slices through the middle of the plate for the third out.

(M8: Florida 9, Troy 16)

Alonso stays in the game for the Trojans to open up the top of the eighth inning and starts things off by issuing a four-pitch walk to McDonald. The bullpen is active for Troy as Bowen steps up to the plate; he draws a five-pitch walk and the Gators are showing a little life here with two on and no outs.

The Trojans’ head coach heads out to the hill for a pitching change.

(T8: Florida 5, Troy 16)

Barlow is back out for the bottom of the seventh and gets Cavill to fly out to the warning track in left field. Janicki goes down swinging on an 85 mph slider low and away in a six-pitch at-bat that only saw strikes. Meier ends the inning by swinging at a nasty changeup off the plate that tails away.

Worth noting that Troy’s 16 runs so far is the most the program has ever scored against an SEC opponent.

(E7: Florida 5, Troy 16)

Right-hander Dylan Alonso is now in the game for Troy to try and keep the Gators at bay through the later innings, starting with the top of Florida’s batting order. Jones opens up the seventh by working the count full before watching a breaking ball eat the dirt for the walk — Florida’s first base-on-balls in the game.

Lawson follows him with a strikeout swinging at a nasty breaking ball that bounces right behind the plate. That brings up Cyr, who pops out to shallow right-center into the glove of the second baseman for out No. 2. A passed ball allows Jones to advance to second while running the count full on Surowiec; he fails to capitalize, hitting a routine grounder to the shortstop for out No. 3.

(M7: Florida 5, Troy 16)

Now on the mound for the Orange and Blue is right-hander Billy Barlow, who faces Trojans left-hand hitter Nelson with the bases still jammed and just one out. He lines the ball to a leaping Lawson at shortstop for the out; unfortunately, the throw to second is too late to pull off the double play.

Darnell works a full count before drawing a walk on pitch No. 8 of the at-bat — a pitch well off the plate that brings in run No. 12. Boroff follows him with a no-doubter way over the left field fence for a grand slam and an 11-run lead for the Trojans.

Markham grounds the ball through the left side and Piasecki lines one to left as well — both for singles. The pain finally ends with Pyne at an 83 mph slider in the dirt for out No. 3.

(E6: Florida 5, Troy 16)

O’Sullivan brings in right-hander Schuyler Sandford with the bases loaded and no outs to face fellow righty Pyne, who pops up to the shortstop for an infield fly-rule out. Cavill draws a four-pitch walk to bring in another run, and now the Trojans are up by four.

Janicki, who already has a pair of homers in this game, comes up next and gets hit on the elbow by a fastball that runs way too far inside, and now it’s a five-run lead. Sully does not look happy as he stands at the top of the dugout steps. Meier sends a low liner through the left side to plate another run and that is it for Sandford.

(B6: Florida 5, Troy 11)

Left-hander Ernesto Lugo-Canchola is now on the bump for Florida with two on and no outs to face Markham, a fellow lefty. The Trojan opens the at-bat with a pair of bunt attempts that go foul before lining a single to the center fielder to load the bases.

Piasecki lines an 87 mph slider into center field to bring home a runner, keeping the bases loaded as well. That brings the infield to the mound to talk while Florida’s bullpen continues its activity. And now O’Sullivan comes out to take the ball from Lugo-Canchola.

(B6: Florida 5, Troy 8)

Peterson comes out for the sixth with his pitch count at 92 and proceeds to walk Darnell after the count was worked full; however, Liam did not get the same treatment from the umpires that Ellingworth received last inning on a checked swing that was called a ball but looked like it went around. Boroff follows that up with a groundball single through the left side and O’Sullivan trots out to the mound to make a pitching change.

(B6: Florida 5, Troy 7)

McDonald blasts the first pitch of the sixth inning over the fence in left-center field for a 448-foot solo home run, pulling the Gators back within two.

Bowen pops up the second pitch he sees into foul territory near third base, which is caught for the first out. Stripling then pops the very next pitch to the third baseman on the infield dirt for out No. 2. And then again on the very next pitch, Kurland takes an 83 mph breaking ball off his upper arm for a hit-by-pitch, giving the Gators a base runner with two outs.

Unfortunately, Yost is unable to keep the inning going, striking out looking at a fastball that just barely gets the low inside corner at his knees after running the count full.

(M6: Florida 5, Troy 7)

Peterson remains in the game for the fifth frame with his pitch count at 74, and opens up by throwing three straight balls before serving up a solo home run on a 3-1 count over the right field fence off Cavill’s bat.

Janicki then works the count full only to hit a routine fly ball to the right fielder for the first out of the inning. Meier follows him by flying out to left field just in front of the warning track and Nelson lines out to left field in nearly the same spot to wrap up the fifth.

(E5: Florida 4, Troy 7)

Yost walks up to the plate to open the fifth inning and grounds out to the shortstop, who is playing on the right side of the second base bag in the shift. Jones follows him by grounding the first pitch he sees through the left side for a one-out single. Troy has some activity in the bullpen now with the pitch count at 63.

Next up is Lawson, who watches three balls go by before some equipment issues stop the game — Ellingworth’s pitch watch apparently was having some problems. The count then goes full, only for Lawson to turn on a 90 mph fastball on the inner part of the plate for a laser beam home run over the fence in right-center.

Cyr goes down watching a low 83 mph changeup out of the zone that is called for strike three by the ump; Sully and the fans are not pleased. Surowiec follows him by striking out, watching an 89 mph fastball that may or may not have nipped the lower outside corner of the zone. But the Gators get two runs back.

(M5: Florida 4, Troy 6)

Peterson gets Darnell to swing at an 87 mph changeup for the first out of the frame before getting Boroff to ground out to the shortstop. He can’t get out of the inning cleanly, however, as Markham hit a fly ball to left field inside the line that Cyr just can’t reach in time, giving him a two-out double.

A successful bunt by Piasecki down the third base line puts runners on the corners with two outs. That brings up Pyne, who flies out to center to end the threat.

(E4: Florida 2, Troy 6)

Bowen lines out to the shortstop on the first pitch of the fourth inning before Stripling flies out to deep center field for out No. 2. A high and tight 92 mph fastball appears to hit Kurland, but after a review, it clearly hits the knob of the bat; he finishes the at-bat by working back from an 0-2 count to work it full before smashing the ball down the third base line, but the fielder makes a clean grab and tosses it to first for the third out.

(M4: Florida 2, Troy 6)

Houston Markham, Troy’s No. 9 hitter, leads off the bottom of the frame with a first-pitch drive over the right field fence to give the Trojans the lead back.

Piasecki follows him with a bloop into shallow left field that Lawson gets under but cannot corral, bouncing off his glove and resulting in a single.

With one on and no outs, Pyne reaches out for a slider low and away, poking it into left field for a single, which advanced the runner to second. After working the count to 3-1, Peterson gets Cavill to pop up to the shortstop in the shallow outfield grass, invoking the infield fly rule for the first out; Kevin O’Sullivan then makes a trip to the mound to talk.

Runners on first and second with one out to Janicki, who falls to 0-2 before jacking a 98 mph fastball on the inside part of the plate for a three-run shot to break the game open. That’s his second round-tripper of the game already.

Peterson gets Meier looking at an 86 mph slider that nips the top of the zone for out No. 2 and then gets Nelson to wave at an 85 mph breaking pitch to finally get out of the frame. But the damage has been done.

(E3: Florida 2, Troy 6)

Top of the third opens up with Cyr working a full count before swinging through a 93 mph fastball high in the zone for the first out. Surowiec hits a deep fly ball to right field on the first pitch he sees for out No. 2 and McDonald follows him with another deep fly ball top right that is caught for the third out.

But Ellingworth’s pitch count is already up to 1 after three innings, so at least the Gators are making him work.

(M3: Florida 2, Troy 2)

Drew Nelson leads off the bottom of the second by watching three straight balls from Peterson before grounding out to the first baseman unassisted on the fifth offering. Sean Darnell goes down swinging at a nasty breaking ball and Jabe Boroff hits a slow grounder to third just inside the line that Surowiec throws to first in time for out No. 3.

(E2: Florida 2, Troy 2)

Caden McDonald leads off the second inning by grounding out to the shortstop after four pitches. Karson Bowen follows him by working the count full before dribbling a grounder up the middle that is fielded by the shortstop, but the throw to first is too late — the call on the field is out, but a review by Florida concludes that he was safe.

With a runner on first and one out, Landon Stripling steps up to the plate and grounds the ball through the right side for a single. That brings up Cade Kurland, who hits a hot grounder up the middle that is fielded by the second baseman on a nice play, but his toss to the shortstop at the bag goes wild and everyone is safe.

So now the bases are loaded for Hayden Yost. The infield convenes at the mound for a quick chat before the first pitch, which is popped up to the first baseman in foul territory for the second out. That turns the order back over to Jones, who hits a soft fly ball to center in front of the fielder to drive in a pair of runs, tying the game.

Lawson hits a hard grounder to first that gets knocked down before being taken to the bag for the third out.

(M2: Florida 2, Troy 2)

Liam Peterson opens up the bottom of the frame with a 98 mph fastball that is fouled off by Aaron Piasecki, who then goes on to hit a routine grounder to second for the first out. Josh Pyne follows him with a flyout to right, but Peterson can’t get out of the inning after a grounder bounces off the first baseman’s glove to give Blake Cavill an infield hit.

With two outs and a runner on first, Jimmy Janicki gives Troy an early lead with a towering home run over the left field fence on an 87 mph changeup.

Peterson finally gets out of the inning on a groundout to second by Steven Meier.

(E1: Florida 0, Troy 2)

Kyle Jones watches a 93 mph fastball from right-hander Cooper Ellingworth high and away for a ball to start the game, then grounds a ball to the second baseman, who throws it to first for out No. 1. Lawson swings through a 94 mph fastball for a three-pitch strikeout, and not there are two down.

Blake Cyr is hit by a fastball on his right forearm on the first pitch he sees to give the Gators their first baserunner; he advances to second on a passed ball that pops off the catcher’s glove out to the pitcher. Ethan Surowiec grounds out to the shortstop and that’s if for Florida in the top of the first.

(M1: Florida 0, Troy 0)