The Florida Gators return to action on Saturday night, looking to tie the weekend series with the Oklahoma Sooners after suffering a devastating loss in the opener on Friday.
Liam Peterson takes the mound for the Orange and Blue in search of his first win since Feb. 20 against Kennesaw State. It hasn’t all been bad for the junior right-hander this year, but getting deep into games has been a struggle, and the bullpen rarely closes it out when he does make it to the sixth. Florida needs Peterson in a big way, though, after the bullpen blew Aidan King’s gem with a three-run eighth inning.
Ernesto Lugo-Canchola and Joshua Whritenour, two of Florida’s best relievers, couldn’t secure the win, and Florida lost 4-3. Both should be available again tonight, but Kevin O’Sullivan will want a bigger cushion. Florida’s offense was decent in Game 1, scoring three runs on four hits and two walks.
Blake Cyr drove in a pair of runs, one of them being himself on a solo home run in the top of the eighth. That was the only extra-base hit of the night for the Gators, though, and UF went 1-of-7 with runners in scoring position. Peterson needs some more support behind him in this one.
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Florida vs. Oklahoma starting pitchers, lineups
NOTES: Liam Peterson has figured out the walk issue, but now he’s getting hit consistently by SEC teams. Auburn put up four (one earned) on seven hits two weeks ago, and Texas A&M scored five (all earned) on seven hits last week. His strikeout numbers are down, and he’s usually only getting through the fifth inning. There’s greatness in there somewhere, but Peterson hasn’t tapped into it much this year.
Cameron Johnson is Oklahoma’s ace, but the Sooners are throwing him Saturday instead of Friday. The prevailing logic is that Johnson gives Oklahoma a better chance to win on Saturday, facing Peterson instead of King. Johnson has some command issues and has walked three or more batters in seven of his 11 starts this year. Conference play has been even tougher on him with seven walks against Texas A&M, six at LSU, four at Texas and Vanderbilt and five at Auburn.
Patience is the name of the game here for Florida, but Johnson has this odd ability to work out of his self-inflicted jams. The Gators must hit with runners in scoring position to take this win. The 6-foot-6-inch left-hander has a 93-96 mph fastball that can top out around 97. He pairs it with a plus changeup that comes in between 84-88 mph. Johnson also uses a 78-81 mph slider that draws a 60% whiff rate. He’s a groundball pitcher (60.6%) who rarely gives up the big fly. His 62 strikeouts over 47 2/3 innings are elite, too.
Florida Gators starting lineup
Check back for official lineups as first pitch approaches. Gators Wire will provide updates as soon as they are available.
Oklahoma starting lineup
Check back for official lineups as first pitch approaches. Gators Wire will provide updates as soon as they are available.
What channel is Florida at Oklahoma?
The Florida at Oklahoma game starts at 7 p.m. ET from Kimrey Family Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Live updates, highlights from Florida baseball at Oklahoma Sooners
Reporting by David Rosenberg, Gators Wire / Gators Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
