We are underway as Florida baseball meets the Alabama Crimson Tide as the away team in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals on Thursday.
Florida and Alabama are tied, 0-0, heading into the top of the fourth.
Aidan King was on a pitch count against Vanderbilt, so the expectation is for Florida to throw Liam Peterson with the same limitations on Thursday. The bullpen is mostly rested, with Jackson Barberi being the only relief arm that worked more than an inning last night. Ernest Lugo-Canchola and Luke McNeillie should both be available, and everyone else is on full rest.
Florida’s offense is clicking, especially at the top of the order. Blake Cyr, Brendan Lawson and Hayden Yost all had three or more hits with a home run on Wednesday. The Gators scored eight runs on 14 total hits in the victory.
Stay tuned with Gators Wire for live coverage of the game, including pregame updates.
LP is dealin’ for the Gators
Peterson continues to allow a baserunner each inning, but he’s been sharp working around it. Fowler grounded out up the middle for the first out. Peterson tipped it, but Lawson had time to get to it and make a strong throw for a 1-6-3 out.
Lebron sent one down the third base line, but it stayed in the infield for a single. He moved to second on a potential double-play ball that didn’t have a chance since he was off and running. Lebron swiped third, too, but he was stranded there by Torres, who struck out swinging at a slider. (E3: Florida 0, Alabama 0)
Gators go down in order
It only took three pitches for Fay to get two outs in the third. Landon Stripling sent a tricky groundball to the right side, but Vaughn fielded and got the ball to Fay covering first. Cade Kurland grounded out back to the pitcher, and Hayden Yost lost a seven-pitch at-bat on a heater inside that was called for a strikeout. That one might have been worth challenging, but he did not. (M3: Florida 0, Alabama 0)
Liam Peterson holds Alabama scoreless in second
Liam Peterson has his good stuff today. The slider is working well, and it’s the pitch he used to open the bottom of the second with a strikeout on Eric Hines. Brennan Holt caught a triple-digit fastball off the cap, but it dropped in the Bermuda Triangle in the left side of the infield for a base hit. No problem. Luke Vaughn flied out to the warning track and center, and Peyton Steele struck out on another slider to strand the runner. (E2: Florida 0, Alabama 0)
No more no-no talk
The no-hitter has been broken up! After 10 hitless innings against Tyler Fay, Florida finally notched a hit. Ethan Surowiec led off the second with a single into left-center, but Caden McDonald capped a ball 111 mph to second base for a 4-6-3 double play. Karson Bowen tapped one back to the pitcher for a quick third out. (M2: Florida 0, Alabama 0)
Peterson works around two-out jam
Liam Peterson got the first two outs in the bottom of the first on five pitches. The first was a loud flyout to the right field warning track from Bryce Fowler, and Justin Lebron popped up to shallow right — second baseman Cade Kurland played it.
That’s when Peterson ran into some two-out trouble, giving up singles to Brady Neal and Jason Torres. Both balls went back up the middle, but the latter was stopped on the infield by Brendan Lawson, who made a nice diving stab but couldn’t get the ball out of his glove.
John Lemm struck out swinging at a 100-mph heater to end the threat. Peterson is working 98-99 mph with his fastball and 90 mph on his slider early on. (E1: Florida 0, Alabama 0)
Tyler Fay picks up where he left off vs. Florida
The last time Florida faced Tyler Fay, the Gators were no-hit. He picked up right where he left off, retiring the side in order. Fay knew Florida would be aggressive against him, and started with a slider. He’s leaning on the breaking ball early, and it’s fooling some of Florida’s best bats. Kyle Jones and Blake Cyr struck out swinging at a slider, and Brendan Lawson lined out to first. (M1: Florida 0, Alabama 0)
Watch Florida vs. Alabama
Florida vs. Alabama starting pitchers, lineups
Florida Gators starting lineup
Alabama starting lineup
What time is Florida vs. Alabama?
What channel is Florida vs. Alabama?
The Florida at Alabama game starts at 4:30 p.m. ET from the Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Live updates, score from Florida baseball vs Alabama at SEC Tournament
Reporting by David Rosenberg, Gators Wire / Gators Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
