Game 3 of the weekend college baseball series between the Florida Gators and Georgia Bulldogs started at noon ET at Foley Field in Athens. Follow along here as Gators Wire provides live updates and highlights throughout the game.
Florida leads Georgia, 13-5, heading into the top of the ninth.
It’s been a slugfest all day. Florida put a crooked number on the board in each of the first four frames. A three-run shot by Ethan Surowiec got the Gators on the board. Georgia responded with a two-out rally in the bottom of the first to score a pair of runs.
Solo home runs by Hayden Yost and Kyle Jones gave Florida its 3-run lead back in the top of the second. The Bulldogs knocked Florida starter Russell Sandefer out of the game with three consecutive RBI singles in the bottom half of the inning. Sandefer wasn’t his usual self, getting himself into trouble with some wild command.
Georgia’s bullpen melted down in the third, running through four pitchers while allowing six runs — two of which came in on a walk and a hit by pitch. Brendan Lawson had a two-run double, and Surowiec collected two more RBIs with a single. Yost’s second home run of the day made it 13-5 in the fourth.
Luke McNeillie took over for Sandefer in the second and got the next eight outs without allowing a run. Ernesto-Lugo Canchola took over with two runners in scoring position in the fifth and kept Georgia off the board.
Georgia chips away at Florida’s lead
Whritenour got the first two outs of the eighth easily enough, striking out Oriach and Lujo on that 92-94 mph slider. He gave up a single to Wynn and ran one in to Calloway that caught his elbow on a check swing. Black singled in Wynn, and Branch doubled in Calloway, but Whritenour stopped the bleeding with another strikeout. Florida still has a six-run lead and only needs three outs to win the game. Some more offense would be nice, though. (E8: Florida 13, Georgia 7)
Gators do nothing in eighth
Freshman Joe Nottingham took over for Byrd on the mound in the eighth. He was pumping 98 mph, and Florida had no answers for it. Kurland grounded out to short, Stripling fouled out to third base and Yost struck out looking for a 1-2-3 frame. (M8: Florida 13, Georgia 5)
Whritenour takes over for Florida
Lugo-Canchola came back out looking to tie his season high of three full innings pitched, which came against Stetson. Everything came on contact this inning. Georgia led off with another pinch hitter. Cole Koniarsky came in for Brennan Hudson and grounded out to shortstop. Black singled to second base. Lawson took the ball, but it was probably Kurland’s to play. They were talking afterward. Branch popped up to third. Allen singled through the middle to put two on.
Sully decided that was it for ELC, so he finished an out shy of that season-high mark. Josh Whritenour took over. Florida needs him to get seven outs to secure the win. Whritenour hit Phelps on a slider that slipped out of his fingers, but he got Jackson to ground into a fielder’s choice to end the inning. (E7: Florida 13, Georgia 5)
Florida goes down in order too
Both bullpens are settled in after the loud start to the game. Byrd answered Lugo-Canchola’s 1-2-3 inning with one of his own. Surowiec and Cyr struck out around a Bowen grounded to shortstop. So much for that run rule idea… (M7: Florida 13, Georgia 5)
ELC goes 1-2-3
Lugo-Canchola returned for the sixth and got the first 1-2-3 inning of the day for either club, Oriach struck out looking, Lujo popped up behind first base andRyan Wynn — who pinch hit for Os’Shaughnessy — grounded out to shortstop. It would be nice for Florida to get two runs here, so Whritenour can close it out early. (E6: Florida 13, Georgia 5)
Gators can’t score despite getting two on
Stripling lined one to left field for the first out. Yost walked to reach base for a third time — although two of those weren’t actually on base since they were home runs. Myers flied out to left for the second out. Jones singled for his fourth hit of the day, but Lawson popped up to end the inning. (M6: Florida 13, Georgia 5)
ELC works out of jam in fifth
McNeillie’s magic ran out in the fifth. He walked black, and Branch doubled into the left-field corner. Ernesto Lugo-Canchola took over and struck out Henry Allen — who pinch-hit for Johnson — and Phelps with the offspeed stuff.
Sully came out to talk with him about Jackson, likely reminding Lugo-Canchola that first base is open and a left is coming up. He got behind in the count against Jackson but ended up inducing a flyout to right. Massive hold there for Florida. (E5: Florida 13, Georgia 5)
Florida fails to score for first time today
Surowiec fouled out to the right side for Florida’s first leadoff out in the game. Bowen flied out to Lujo in center field. Cyr flied one to left that should have given Georgia its first 1-2-3 inning of the day, but Lujo called off the left fielder, who was camped under the ball, and dropped a sliding catch. The official scorer ruled it a double, but it sure looked like an error. No harm was done, though, as Kurland grounded out to end the inning. (M5: Florida 13, Georgia 5)
McNeillie looking sharp
McNeillie delivered his second straight scoreless inning in the fourth. Oriach led off with a double, but McNeillie retired the next three batters in order. Lujo flied out to right despite making good contact. O’Shuahnessy and Hudson both struck out, as McNeillie skipped off the mound. He’s running his fastball up to 97-98 mph and locating his breaking ball well, especially agaisnt lefties. (E4: Florida 13, Georgia 5)
Yost hits second homer of the day
Florida got its fourth leadoff base hit in as many innings from Kurland, who singled into right field. Stripling popped up into foul territory near third base, but Yost crushed a two-run blast over the scoreboard in right field. What a day for a guy who was hitting below the Mendoza line with one homer on the year coming into the game. Now he has three long balls on the year.
Myers popped out on a bunt attempt; Jones singled into center; and Lawson popped up to left field to end the inning. It’s going to be tough to keep Georgia off the scoreboard, but Florida is two runs away from leading by 10. The run rule counts after seven innings, so Whritenour could come in earlier than expected if the Gators get there. (M4: Florida 13, Georgia 5)
McNeillie delivers first 0 of the game
McNeillie returned for the third innings. Sully plans to use Josh Whritenour for the last three innings if he can, so McNeillie and the rest of the bullpen need to get through the sixth with the lead intact. He got a hard lineout to center field from Black before walking Branch. Johnson launched one to right that looked way gone, but it somehow stayed in and went to Yost at the warning track.
Phelps singled into left, putting two men on, but McNeillie struck out Jackson with a nasty slider to strand both runners. (E3: Florida 11, Georgia 5)
Florida scores six runs off four Georgia arms
Cyr led off the third with a single up the middle, just out of reach of Georgia’s shortstop. He stole second, but it was close enough for Georgia to challenge. The call was upheld, and the replay looked fairly conclusive. Kurland walked, leading to another pitching change by the Bulldogs.
Left-hander Caleb Jameson took over for Grant Edwards. Stripling sent one out to right field that looked like it would get down, but Black made a web gem diving catch to rob him and prevent the runners from advancing. Yost lined one up the middle, loading the bases.
Jameson was in to face the lefties, so Wes Johnson came back out to put Jordan Stephens against the righties. Stephens came out pumping triple digits, but he couldn’t find the strike zone consistently after starting the at-bat 0-2. Myers walked, giving Florida the lead back, and Jones took a pitch off the knee to bring in another.
That means another pitching change! If you’re scoring at home — or even if you’re alone — Georgia has used four different arms in the third. Justin Byrd got Lawson to an 0-2 count, but he took a ball to the warning track in left field for a two-run double. Florida leads, 9-5.
Surowiec got the Gators into double digits with a grounder through the right side. Florida now has 10 hits and 11 runs, and it’s only the top of the third. Bowen struck out on a slider that Jackson framed behind the plate. Cyr took one for a ride to the warning track in right, but it ended up being a flyout. (M3: Florida 11, Georgia 5)
McNeillie stops UGA from taking lead
Luke McNeillie took over for Sandefer. He walked O’Shaughnessy on four pitches to load the bases, but stranded them full with a strikeout on Hudson. McNeillie went to the changeup a few times to get the swing-and-miss. (E2: Florida 5, Georgia 5)
Dawgs bite back again, tie game with two outs
Sanderfer opens up the bottom of the second with a strikeout of Ryan Black on a nasty 83 mph changeup for out No. 1. Kolby Branch draws a walk on five pitches, pushing Florida’s starter’s pitch count to 30 after just 1 1/3 innings of work — not terribly efficient so far.
A pop-up to the third baseman Surowiec, which he has to dive in front of the mound to catch, gives Sandefer his second out, but the inning continues when he plunks Phelps on the top of the helmet to give UGA its second baserunner of the inning.
The infield comes ot the mound for a chat before a bloop single to right by Jackson brings in a run, and after another two-out rally, the game is now 5-3.
A grounder through the left side by Oriach brings Georgia back within a run of the Gators with runners at the corners; Lujo singles the runner in from third on a hit to centerfield, tying the game; that brings Sully out for a pitching change. (B2: Florida 5, Georgia 5)
Relief pitcher stops the bleeding for Georgia
Georgia’s new pitcher is a submarine thrower who gets Lawson on a sharply hit one-hop grounder to the shortstop for the second out of the inning. Surowiec isn’t ready to end the inning yet, singling on a hard grounder through the right-side hole for the third hit of the frame.
However, Bowen doesn’t get the memo and goes down looking at strike three to end the rally. (M2: Florida 5, Georgia 2)
Florida hits pair of solo shots, knocks out Georgia’s starter
Hayden Yost sends the first pitch he sees over the right field wall — a ball that was absolutely crushed for a solo shot.
Kolt Myers follows that up with a strikeout swinging on just three pitches from Scott, turning the lineup back over to the leadoff hitter Jones, who crushed the Gators’ second solo shot of the afternoon just inside the foul pole over the left field fence.
Georgia’s manager doesn’t like what he has seen and brings in righty Grant Edwards to replace him. (T2: Florida 5, Georgia 2)
Bulldogs strike back with a pair of 2-out runs
Russell Sandefer gets Tre Phelps to ground out to shortstop on his third pitch, but then throws four straight balls to Daniel Jackson, issuing a free pass and giving the ‘Dawgs their first baserunner of the game.
The Gators’ right-hander bounces back and gets Jordy Oriach out on a shallow flyball to left field before surrendering a double off the bat Rylan Lujo — a hard grounder up the middle on the shortstop side of the base that gets deep into the outfield grass.
Kevin O’Sullivan comes to the mound to talk with runners on second and third before Michael O’Shaughnessy hits a grounder that would be a routine play for a shortstop not positioned in the shift; instead, two runs score on the single and now it’s a 3-2 game.
Sandefer strikes out Brennan Hudson on a high and outside heater to end the rally. (E1: Florida 3, Georgia 2)
Gators get on board early with 3-run Surowiec shot
The game opens up with a 93 mph fastball from Matt Scott that Kyle Jones fouls off; the next pitch is lined into left field for a single, putting the leadoff runner on base — as Jones is wont to do. Brendan Lawson draws a walk on five pitches and Ethan Surowiec sends the first pitch he sees over the left field wall for a three-run home run. Gators up 3-0 with no outs recorded yet.
Karson Bowen grounds out to second for the first out, followed by a swing-and-miss strikeout by Blake Cyr, but the inning continues on a first-pitch single on a grounder up the middle by Cade Kurland. However, Landon Stripling swings at a high and outside fastball to end the frame. (M1: Florida 3, Georgia 0)
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The Florida vs Georgia game starts at noon ET from Foley Field in Athens, Georgia.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Live updates, highlights as Florida looks to take series from Georgia
Reporting by David Rosenberg and Adam Dubbin, Gators Wire / Gators Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
