Freshman Kirby McMullen earned his second win of the season and scored the go-ahead run in the 11th Tuesday. It wasn’t pretty, but the Florida Gators (14-8) ended its three-game losing streak with a 9-8 extra inning win over the Stetson Hatters (8-15).
Coming off of a strong start against Florida State Nate Brown drew the rare road start for a freshman. Brown wasn’t sharp early on, giving up a run in the first inning. Brown gave up five hits over 2.1 innings before Nick Horvath took over in the third. Horvath got out of a jam in the third and held Stetson scoreless in the fourth. Florida, meanwhile, was busy striking out to the tune of six through the first four frames. The Gators finally broke out of a slump in the fifth inning.
Mike Rivera (2-5) singled down the left field line with one out and Deacon Liput (0-4) walked on four pitches following. Andrew Baker (0-6) struck out to give the Hatters two outs. Dalton Guthrie (2-4) walked to load the bases. JJ Schwarz (3-6) singled back up the middle to score two, giving the Gators a 2-1 lead. Jonathan India (2-4) followed suit with a single up the middle of his own, plating Guthrie. Nelson Maldonado (1-4) singled to plate Schwarz. A pitching change and a strikeout later the Hatters were out of the inning but Florida now held a 4-1 advantage. Stetson got one of those runs back in the bottom of the frame on three hits but left two runners stranded.
Stetson added two runs on four hits to tie the game in the eighth inning.
Florida exploded for another four-run inning in the top of the tenth. Guthrie and Schwarz singled to start the frame and India, trying to sacrifice them both over, reached first on a throwing error to load the bases. Mark Kolozsvary pinch hit for Keenan Bell and drove in Schwarz and Guthrie with a single. Christian Hicks (1-5) moved Kolozsvary and India over with a sacrifice bunt and Ryan Larson (1-5) walked to load the bases and Mike Rivera drove India and Kolozsvary in with another single.
Florida couldn’t hold on to that four-run lead.
Back-to-back singles chased Tyler Dyson from the game in favor of Garrett Milchin. The freshman quickly gave up a double, cutting the lead to 8-5. Milchin struck out the next batter he faced before Kevin O’Sullivan brought in Andrew Baker from center field to pitch. Baker gave up three singles and just like that Stetson tied the game up with a four-run inning of their own. Kirby McMullen took over for Baker, getting the last out of the 10th before hitting for himself in the 11th.
McMullen drew a walk and moved to second when Schwarz laced a pitch into right field. India moved the pair up 90-feet with a sacrifice bunt and Stetson walked Blake Reese intentionally to load the bases, setting up a force out at home. Hicks chopped a ball high enough to first to allow a run to score. That 9-8 lead was safe when McMullen worked a clean 11th inning.
The Gators struck out a season high 16 times on Tuesday.
Florida will host No. 5 LSU for a three-game series at McKethan Stadium starting Friday night at 7.