Troy didn’t quite provide any relief for Florida pitching on Sunday, as the Gators played for a trip to the Super Regionals.
Instead, the Trojans kept UF’s pitching misery going, and now Florida will be forced to play a winner-take-all rematch against Troy on Monday at the Gainesville Regional. One day after Florida masked its pitching woes somewhat in a 22-10 victory over rival Miami, the Gators couldn’t hide from their pitching problems in a 16-11 loss to Troy that pushed the regional to Monday.
The time and TV designation of the winner-take-all matchup has yet to be decided, but what was decided on Sunday was Troy’s ability to keep pushing. Earlier on Sunday, the Trojans eliminated Miami from the regional in a 9-6 victory, pounding out 15 hits. As it turned out, Troy was just getting started, as it grinded out 17 more hits and 5 home runs in the offensive showcase against Florida.
UF starter Liam Peterson allowed 9 earned runs and 10 hits in five innings. The Hurricanes scored 10 runs on 16 hits in Saturday’s loss to Florida, but it didn’t cost the Gators like it did on Sunday, when UF fell behind 6-2 by the third inning. After rallying within 7-5 in the sixth, Troy vanquished the Gators once and for all with a 9-run, sixth-inning explosion that effectively put the game on ice.
Now, the Trojans (35-30) will have to beat the No. 8 nationally seeded Gators (41-20) once more on Monday to earn what would be a shocking trip to the Super Regionals.
Florida got a 2-run home run from Brendan Lawson and a solo homer from Caden McDonald in the sixth that got the Gators within 7-5.
But then Troy went crazy with its 9-run outburst in the bottom of the sixth, during which 4 different Florida pitchers were used and 2 runs were walked in.
Cade Kurland gave Florida a jolt late with a grand slam in the eighth inning, and McDonald added a 2-run homer in the ninth. But all that did was make the final score look a little more respectable, and now the Gators will come back to their home park on Monday knowing that their season and College World Series dreams are on the line.
With Florida being pushed to Monday’s winner-take-all rematch with Troy, here is what the Kalshi market is currently saying about the Gators’ chance to survive its home regional and advance to the Super Regionals:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
