LEXINGTON, Ky. — It’s certainly not the way Florida baseball coach Kevin O’Sullivan will want to remember his 100th coaching victory. Four pitchers surrendered four home runs and the Gators endured a 90-minute rain delay and some tense moments in the eighth inning before escaping Cliff Hagan Stadium with a 10-6 victory over Kentucky Friday night.
Gators freshman Austin Maddox (3-for-5) snapped a 6-6 tie with a towering three-run homer with two down in the seventh and senior Matt den Dekker (2-for-3) opened the eighth with a round-tripper before the game was delayed at 9:35 p.m. EDT. It was the 16th multiple-hit game for Maddox and his 12th multiple-RBI game. Sophomore Preston Tucker had a seventh-inning single to keep his hitting streak alive at eight games as the Gators outhit the Wildcats, 12-11.
When play was resumed, the Wildcats scored twice in the bottom of the eighth but senior reliever Jeff Barfield (2-0) picked up the victory and junior Kevin Chapman got the final six outs, four on strikeouts, for his seventh save of the year.
The No. 9 Gators (24-9 overall, 9-4 SEC East) remained a game behind South Carolina in the SEC East race. Kentucky fell to 21-13 and 4-9 in the SEC East. Florida will send freshman right-hander Hudson Randall (3-3, 3.98 ERA) against left-hander Taylor Rogers (4-3, 4.86 ERA) in the second game of the series Saturday night at 7. The teams conclude the series on Sunday afternoon.
Kentucky used homers by sophomore Andy Burns (2-for-5) and redshirt senior Marcus Nidiffer (2-for-3, three runs, two RBI) off sophomore left-handed starter Alex Panteliodis in the second to build a 2-0 lead. Entering the game, Panteliodis had allowed two homers all season.
Kentucky increased its advantage to 3-0 in the fourth. Burns started things off with his sixth double down the left-field line and went to third on a failed pickoff throw by Panteliodis. Sophomore Braden Kapteyn then singled to left to score Burns.
Florida exploded for five runs in the fifth against junior left-handed starter Logan Darnell to move in front, 5-3. Senior Jonathan Pigott led off the inning with his first homer of the year to left field. Then den Dekker reached on an infield single and went to second on a throwing error by junior second baseman Chris Bisson. Junior Josh Adams and freshman Mike Zunino walked to load the bases for freshman Nolan Fontana, who singled to right to score den Dekker and Adams. Zunino also scored when Kentucky outfielder Kunner Glad made an error and Fontana ended up on third. Sophomore Daniel Pigott (2-for-5) drove in Fontana with a grounder to second.
Florida used Bryson Smith’s first sacrifice fly of the year in the sixth to go up, 6-3. Maddox led off with his second hit of the night, his team-leading 11th double to left, and Jonathan Pigott was hit by a pitch before den Dekker executed a sacrifice bunt to push his teammates over. Smith followed with his sacrifice fly to center.
The Wildcats countered with three runs in the home part of the inning, highlighted by back-to-back homers, to even the score at 6-6. With one down, Nidiffer cranked his second homer of the game to center field and Black followed with his fifth homer to almost the same spot to end the night for Panteliodis, who surrendered season highs for runs (five) and hits (eighth).
Sophomore Michael Williams greeted reliever Nick Maronde with a double to right center. Bisson followed with a walk and the runners moved up a base on a wild pitch. Wright then hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 6-6. Barfield relieved Maronde and got Glad to line out to end the inning.
Darnell was done for the evening after six innings for Kentucky, allowing six runs (four earned) on seven hits and two walks with three strikeouts. Jordan Cooper (1-3) took over in the seventh and walked Fontana with one out. Tucker followed with his single to right with two outs. Maddox then belted his 10th home run off the light tower in right field for a 9-6 Florida lead. The solo home run by den Dekker to start the eighth inning was his sixth homer of the season and gave Florida a 10-6 lead before the rains came.
After play resumed at 11:05 p.m., the Gators did not score. Nidiffer was hit by a pitch to begin the bottom of the eighth and Black doubled down the left-field line and O’Sullivan replaced Barfield with Chapman, who issued a walk to Williams to load the bases. Bisson had an RBI groundout to make it 10-7 and then Wright singled to left to drive in Black.
Chapman then struck out Glad and got Burns to fly out to end the eighth, and the southpaw struck out the side in the ninth.
SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE
Eastern Division Conference Overall
(Rank) Team W-L Pct. W-L Pct.
(13) South Carolina 10-3 .769 27-7 .794
(9) Florida 9-4 .692 24-9 .727
(19) Vanderbilt 7-6 .538 28-8 .778
Kentucky 4-9 .308 21-13 .618
Tennessee 4-9 .308 18-17 .514
Georgia 3-10 .231 11-23 .324
Western Division Conference Overall
(Rank) Team W-L Pct. W-L Pct.
(8) Arkansas 10-3 .769 29-6 .829
(6) Louisiana State 9-4 .692 28-6 .824
(18) Mississippi 7-6 .538 23-12 .657
Auburn 7-6 .538 23-12 .657
Alabama 5-8 .385 22-13 .629
Mississippi State 3-10 .231 17-17 .500
(Rank) Ranking is the latest USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll
RESULTS
FRIDAY / April 16
Florida 10, Kentucky 8
Tennessee 15, Mississippi State 13
Louisiana State 12, Alabama 5
South Carolina 5, Mississippi 0
Arkansas 10, Georgia 2
Vanderbilt 11, Auburn 6
SCHEDULE
SATURDAY / April 17
Tennessee at Mississippi State, 2 p.m.
Auburn at Vanderbilt, 3 p.m.
Georgia at Arkansas, 3 p.m.
Mississippi at South Carolina, 3 p.m.
Florida at Kentucky, 7 p.m.
Alabama at Louisiana State, 8 p.m.
SUNDAY / April 18
Florida at Kentucky, 1 p.m.
Mississippi at South Carolina, 1:30 p.m.
Alabama at Louisiana State, 2 p.m.
Auburn at Vanderbilt, 2 p.m. (ESPNU)
Georgia at Arkansas, 2 p.m.
Tennessee at Mississippi State, 2:30 p.m.
TUESDAY / April 20
Vanderbilt at Lipscomb, 6 p.m.
South Carolina Upstate at South Carolina, 7 p.m.
Kentucky at Western Kentucky 7 p.m.
Troy at Auburn, 7:30 p.m.
Southern Mississippi at Mississippi, 7:30 p.m.
Alcorn State at Mississippi State, 7:30 p.m.
Oral Roberts at Arkansas, 7:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY / April 21
Winthrop at Georgia, 6 p.m.
Tennessee at Western Carolina, 6 p.m.
Vanderbilt at Middle Tennessee, 6 p.m.
Florida at South Florida, 7 p.m.
Northwestern State at Louisiana State, 7:30 p.m.
FRIDAY / April 23
South Carolina at Georgia, 6:30 p.m.
Louisiana State at Mississippi, 7 p.m. (ESPNU)
Vanderbilt at Tennessee, 7 p.m. (CSS)
Arkansas at Florida, 6:30 p.m.
Kentucky at Auburn, 7:30 p.m.
Mississippi State at Alabama, 7:30 p.m.
SATURDAY / April 24
South Carolina at Georgia, 3 p.m.
Louisiana State at Mississippi, 3 p.m. (FSN)
Arkansas at Florida, 4 p.m.
Vanderbilt at Tennessee, 4 p.m. (CSS)
Kentucky at Auburn, 4 p.m.
Mississippi State at Alabama, 5 p.m.
SUNDAY / April 25
Arkansas at Florida, 1 p.m.
Louisiana State at Mississippi, 1:30 p.m. (CSS)
Kentucky at Auburn, 2 p.m.
Vanderbilt at Tennessee, 2 p.m.
South Carolina at Georgia, 2 p.m.
Mississippi State at Alabama, 3 p.m.
RANKINGS
April 12, 2010
USA TODAY/ESPN COACHES
1. Arizona State (28-3); 2. UCLA (25-3); 3. Virginia (27-7); 4. Texas (26-7); 5. Georgia Tech (27-5); 6. Louisiana State (26-6); 7. Florida State (25-7); 8. Arkansas (26-6); 9. Florida (23-8); 10. Coastal Carolina (27-5);
11. Texas Christian (23-7); 12. Louisville (25-6); 13. South Carolina (25-7); 14. Oklahoma (25-7); 15. Miami, Fla. (23-9); 16. Clemson (23-10); 17. Oregon State (20-8); 18. Mississippi (23-10); 19. Vanderbilt (26-8); 20. Kansas State (23-6);
21. Arizona (22-9); 22. Western Kentucky (26-8); 23. Southeastern Louisiana (26-7); 24. Cal State Fullerton (18-12); 25. UC Irvine (18-11).
BASEBALL AMERICA
1. UCLA (25-3); 2. Virginia (27-7); 3. Arizona State (28-3); 4. Texas (26-7); 5. Georgia Tech (27-5); 6. Florida State (25-7); 7. Florida (23-8); 8. Louisiana State (26-6); 9. Arkansas (26-6); 10. South Carolina (25-7);
11. Texas Christian (23-7); 12. Coastal Carolina (27-5); 13. Louisville (25-6); 14. Mississippi (23-10); 15. Miami, Fla. (23-9); 16. Oklahoma (25-7); 17. Clemson (23-10); 18. Oregon State (20-8); 19. Western Kentucky (26-8); 20. Virginia Tech (23-11);
21. California (20-10); 22. Cal State Fullerton (18-12); 23. Auburn (22-11); 24. Arizona (22-9); 25. Connecticut (22-7).
COLLEGIATE BASEBALL
1. Arizona State (28-3); 2. UCLA (25-3); 3. Texas (26-7); 4. Virginia (27-7); 5. South Carolina (25-7); 6. Georgia Tech (27-5); 7. Louisiana State (26-6); 8. Arkansas (26-6); 9. Coastal Carolina (27-5); 10. Florida State (25-7);
11. Oklahoma (25-7); 12. Florida (23-8); 13. Miami, Fla. (23-9); 14. Oregon State (20-8); 15. Louisville (25-6); 16. Clemson (23-10); 17. Texas Christian (23-7); 18. Mississippi (23-10); 19. California (20-10); 20. Kansas State (23-6);
21. Western Kentucky (26-8); 22. Cal State Fullerton (18-12); 23. Auburn (21-11); 24. Pittsburgh (22-8); 25. Virginia Tech (23-11); 26. Virginia Military Institute (28-5); 27. Fresno State (20-13); 28. Washington State (17-11); 29. Southeastern Louisiana (26-7); 30. Vanderbilt (26-8).
NATIONAL COLLEGE BASEBALL WRITERS ASSOCIATION
1. Virginia (27-7); 2. Arizona State (28-3); 3. Texas (26-7); 4. UCLA (25-3); 5. Georgia Tech (27-5); 6. Louisiana State (26-6); 7. Arkansas (26-6); 8. Florida State (25-7); 9. Florida (23-8); 10. Texas Christian (23-7);
11. Coastal Carolina (27-5); 12. Louisville (25-6); 13. South Carolina (25-7); 14. Miami, Fla. (23-9); 15. Oklahoma (25-7); 16. Oregon State (20-8); 17. Clemson (23-10); 18. Vanderbilt (26-8); 19. Mississippi (23-10); 20. Western Kentucky (26-8);
21. North Carolina (22-12); 22. Arizona (22-9); 23. Southeastern Louisiana (26-7); 24. Kansas State (23-6); 25. Cal State Fullerton (18-12); 26. East Carolina (20-12); 27. California (20-10); 28. UC Irvine (18-11); 29. Virginia Tech (23-11); 30. Kentucky (21-12).