LSU pounds Gators again to take series

You’d have a hard time imagining a more horrific pitching performance than the one the No. 8 Gators turned in on Sunday against LSU, except for maybe the night before when they gave up 16 runs.

UF didn’t walk any batters in the rubber game, but they plunked eight Tigers. They also gave up three home runs.

As could be expected given those numbers, No. 21 LSU ran away with the game and won 11-2 to win the series.

“It’s two games, but the fact of the matter is, sometimes, it comes down to just competing,” UF coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “I don’t remember in my career here at Florida we’ve had back-to-back losses like that at home in SEC play.

“I think the most disappointing thing – whether you lose 11-2 or 3-2, they all hurt – but I honestly think LSU just imposed their will on us, and we did not respond at all.”

Redshirt freshman Ryan Slater made his first career start and got off to a decent start. He hit a couple of batters and gave up two hits but worked around them to toss three scoreless innings.

Then the wheels came off in the fourth, and the Gators (17-7, 3-3 SEC) were never able to put them back on.

Slater hit Jordan Thompson with a pitch to lead off the fourth. Brayden Jobert followed with a two-run homer to right. Slater drilled Gavin Dugas with a fastball. Hayden Travinski followed with a long blast onto the berm in left field.

Just like that, the Tigers led 4-0.

Nick Ficarrotta and Philip Abner combined to hang a zero in the fifth, but LSU (17-7, 3-3) blew the game open with seven runs in the sixth. Five of those runs scored with two outs.

Tre’ Morgan hit an RBI single off of Abner, which led to Brandon Neely taking over on the mound. Jacob Berry hit a sacrifice fly, and Thompson laced an RBI single to center to make it 7-0.

Jobert followed with a three-run blast to right center, and Giovanni DiGiacomo lined an RBI double into the right-field corner to make it 11-0.

“Once again, we kind of shot ourselves in the foot,” O’Sullivan said. “We hit a right-handed batter to start the fourth. A two-run homer, and then had Jobert 0-2, and we just didn’t make pitches. It’s as simple as that. We didn’t stay away from the big inning, and, obviously, extremely disappointed, to be honest with you.

“We knew this was not going to be easy, but, when you hit seven or eight batters and at least half of them are fastballs on the wrong side of the plate and off-speed pitches, it’s not good, especially with that lineup. It is what it is and disappointing, and it’s not a point where you’re going to panic, but, at the same time, this is new for us, too. We haven’t been through something like this in back-to-back games.”

The Gators weren’t much better on offense. They managed just one hit through the first five innings and didn’t score until they were down 11-0 in the bottom of the sixth. Wyatt Langford hit an RBI single, and Kris Armstrong brought in a run with a bases-loaded groundout.

Cade Doughty, Morgan, Dylan Crews and Jobert all recorded multiple hits for the Tigers, and Jobert plated five runs with his two homers.

LSU starter Samuel Dutton gave up just one hit and no runs in 3 2/3 innings, though he did walk three Gators. Grant Taylor was credited with the win after giving up two earned runs on four hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Slater took the loss after being charged with four earned runs and four hit batters in 3 1/3 innings. Abner plunked two batters and gave up four earned runs in one inning, and Neely gave up three runs on four hits in 1 2/3 innings.

Things won’t get any easier next week for the Gators. They’ll play a top-10 Florida State team in Jacksonville on Tuesday and then play a weekend series at a top-25 Georgia team.

For the Gators to have any chance of contending in the SEC or hosting postseason action, their pitching is going to have to drastically improve in a short amount of time.

“I wish I had all the answers right now,” O’Sullivan said. “I just don’t, but I do know we have a game on Tuesday against Florida State, and we’re going to have to figure it out, and then we’ve got a short week going to Georgia. So, we’ll make some adjustments on the pitching side of things, but I think the biggest thing is getting two starts that were three innings is not going to work.

“We’ve always pitched and played defense, so we’re going to need some strike throwers to start games. It’s that simple.”

Ethan Hughes
Ethan was born in Gainesville and has lived in the Starke, Florida, area his entire life. He played basketball for five years and knew he wanted to be a sportswriter when he was in middle school. He’s attended countless Gators athletic events since his early childhood, with baseball being his favorite sport to attend. He’s a proud 2019 graduate of the University of Florida and a 2017 graduate of Santa Fe College. He interned with the University Athletic Association’s communications department for 1 ½ years as a student and also wrote for InsideTheGators.com for two years before joining Gator Country in 2021. He is a long-suffering fan of the Jacksonville Jaguars. You can follow him on Twitter @ethanhughes97.