Aiden King’s Near-Perfect Night Paces Florida in Georgia Series Opener

The Florida Gators took Game 1 of the series against the Georgia Bulldogs with an 8-2 win Friday night, powered by a dominant start from Aidan King and a seven-run seventh inning.

With the victory, Florida (26-9, 8-5 SEC) improved to 9-0 against ranked opponents this season.

King was nearly untouchable through six innings, carrying a perfect game into the bottom of the seventh before it was broken up by a leadoff single to left field. He finished allowing two runs on two hits over 7 2/3 innings while striking out six.

“That’s about as well-pitched of a game as I’ve seen in a long time,” Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “He commanded both sides of the plate, used all of his pitches. In total command.”

Florida opened the scoring early when Blacke Cyr drove in a run, giving the Gators a 1-0 lead. That run held through the first six innings as King and Georgia starter Joey Volchko matched each other in a pitcher’s duel.

The game shifted in the seventh.

Florida broke it open in the top half of the inning, exploding for seven runs. With the bases loaded, Karson Bowen started the rally with an RBI single. Cyr followed with another hit to extend the lead, and the Gators continued to pile on.

Landon Stripling added a two-run home run to center field, and Cole Stanford followed with a solo shot to left. The back-to-back home runs capped the inning and pushed Florida’s lead to 8-0.

Georgia (28-7, 10-3 SEC) responded in the bottom of the inning after breaking up King’s perfect game, eventually scoring two runs in the eighth, but it wasn’t enough to threaten Florida’s lead.

“Really proud of our guys,” O’Sullivan said. “This has been a really tough stretch for us going on the road on Tuesday night and then coming here against a top-five team, and being able to maintain our composure in front of two hostile crowds.”

With the win, Florida remained undefeated against top-five competition and extended its road winning streak to six games.

Florida and Georgia will meet again Saturday at noon.

Category: College Baseball, Feature Sports News, Gators Baseball