Liam Peterson Shows Dominance as Gator Ace in Second Start
Florida’s ace played his cards right on Friday.
Junior Liam Peterson opened for the No. 12 Gators in their weekend series against Kennesaw State after an underwhelming showing on opening night.
The right-handed pitcher dealt 12 strikeouts in 5 1/3 scoreless innings in his second start. He had a no-hitter going into the fifth inning and finished with only one hit allowed in the 9-3 victory.
“He really set the tone for us, obviously, for this one,” coach Kevin O’Sullivan said.
The bounceback performance comes after a night he hoped to forget.
Peterson allowed five runs, four earned and five walks in 3 1/3 innings pitched in a loss to the University of Birmingham at Alabama on Feb. 13. The 9-7 defeat is the Gators’ only loss in their 5-1 season.
“Obviously last weekend wasn’t great, but the guys in the locker room had my back the whole time, and they didn’t let me get down on myself,” Peterson said.
Florida’s mound success following Peterson’s disappointing start to the season opened discussion for his starting spot going into Friday. In the four games between his starts, Florida pitchers have accumulated a .207 batting average against with 33 strikeouts and just four walks.
Peterson, a Palm Harbor native, allowed 18 hits and 17 runs in his last four games before Friday, a streak that dates back to last season. Nearly 25% of his 33 earned runs last season came in his last 3 games.
On the other hand, Peterson led the Gators with eight victories and 96 strikeouts, earning him collegiate honors. Baseball America’s Preseason SEC Pitcher of the Year entered his third season with an opening game that serves as an inverse of the year before.
A little over one year ago, Peterson totaled 11 strikeouts in six innings in a 7-0 win against Air Force, tying the program record for most strikeouts in an opening game since at least 1999. The Gators 16 strikeouts also set the school record for the most on an opening day.
The full team’s pitching efforts have led to the team’s five-game win streak. In this stretch, the Gators have won by run rule in two of the five games.
Division II transfer Ernesto Lugo-Canchola, a new addition to the Florida mound, has stood out as a relief pitcher with six strikeouts in 5 2/3 perfect innings. Sophomore Aidan King pitched six shutout innings and added four strikeouts to the Gators first win of the season, defeating UAB 11-0 on Feb. 14. He will make his second start of the season on Saturday.
The lights on the mound were bright for Peterson, and he responded with a performance that shone on the highly-touted skillset he has. His objective for this season is to carry that momentum with him all the way to Omaha.
Category: College Baseball, Gators Baseball
