Florida Baseball Powers Past Alabama to SEC Tournament Semifinals

Alabama starting right-handed pitcher Tyler Fay’s no-hitter against Florida during the regular season made the Florida lineup look like it was trying to open a safe without the combination.

On Thursday at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium, Florida finally found the numbers, run-ruling Alabama 13-3 in eight innings to advance to the SEC Tournament semifinals.

Florida batters once again faced Fay, whose mix of pitches kept hitters on edge throughout the quarterfinals matchup. Fay worked the bottom of the strike zone, forcing ground balls and piling up strikeouts. However, the trouble started when he elevated his pitches.

In the fourth inning, Fay’s fastball up in the zone connected with the bat of shortstop Brendan Lawson, who hit his second home run of the tournament, thrashing a ball 444 feet over the fence. With the game moved up due to inclement weather, a light rain began. Yet, the ball rose off the bat of third baseman Ethan Surowiec for the second solo home run of the inning, putting Florida ahead 2-0. 

After throwing 131 pitches and allowing zero hits during the regular-season matchup, Fay was pulled after 5 2/3 innings, giving up six hits and five runs.

The damage continued from the Gator bats. In an effort to sacrifice defense for offense, the Tide started senior Brady Neal, who usually plays catcher, in right field. Neal struggled to track multiple deep fly balls, and his lack of experience showed as he failed to make multiple catches to prevent extra base hits. 

Entering the game, senior Blake Cyr had never hit a triple. After three plate appearances in Wednesday’s win against Vanderbilt, Cyr was a triple away from hitting for the cycle, but fell short. In the fifth inning against the Tide, Cyr’s fly ball to right field allowed him to collect the first triple of his collegiate career, scoring two runs and capping a five-run inning that put Florida ahead 7-0.

Florida pitcher Liam Peterson (2-5, 4.00 ERA) had not consistently delivered the performances he expected from himself this season. However, Peterson showed the ability to command every pitch in his arsenal during his start. Peterson sat 97-99 mph throughout the game, and his changeup in the low 80s left Tide batters swinging as he struck out eight batters in five innings pitched.

No matter where you looked – the dugout, batting box or mound – Florida players performed at the top of their game, starting with Lawson’s toughness and competitiveness.

In the seventh inning, Lawson fouled a pitch off the front of his knee and immediately dropped to the ground as pain shot through his body. After several minutes, he returned to the left-handed batter’s box. 

On the next pitch, Lawson drilled a ball into the gap for a stand-up double. Limping his way around the basepaths, he scored before returning to the dugout. Lawson channeled his Canadian youth hockey roots, jogging back onto the field for the bottom half of the inning, showcasing the team’s resilience.

Two-way player Caden McDonald continued the momentum for Florida. Entering to pitch in the sixth inning, McDonald struck out all three hitters he faced on 12 pitches. An inning later, McDonald dug his cleats into the dirt and doubled down the line before eventually scoring as Florida’s four-run seventh inning extended the lead to 11-1. 

Florida baseball will have a day to rest before facing Georgia on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Gators are the only SEC team to win a series against the Bulldogs this season. 

Georgia leads the nation with 144 home runs, but Florida held the Bulldogs without a homer during the team’s regular-season series. Florida has now won 10 of its last 11 games.

Category: Feature Sports News, Gators Baseball