Catcher Luke Heyman went off for three home runs in a 6-for-9 day at the plate.
OXFORD, Miss. – Florida split a Friday doubleheader against Ole Miss, coming up short, 10-9, before rallying for a come-from-behind, 11-8 victory in the finale at Swayze Field.
With the split, the Rebels (21-6, 6-3 SEC) claimed the series with wins in two of three against the Gators (19-11, 1-8 SEC).
Florida backstop Luke Heyman was outstanding on both sides of the baseball on Friday. Catching every inning of the doubleheader, Heyman finished 6-for-9 with three home runs, one double, five RBI and three runs on the day. He went yard and collected three hits in both contests.
Game 1 | Ole Miss 10, Florida 9
The Gators created traffic in the top of the first, as Justin Nadeau worked a leadoff walk while Brendan Lawson moved him to third with a two-out single to left-center. The Rebels eliminated the threat as starter Austin Maddox induced a groundout of Brody Donay, then promptly took a 1-0 lead in the home half on a first-pitch, leadoff homer to right-center by Mitchell Sanford.
The Ole Miss advantage was short-lived, as Heyman evened the tally with a solo home run to left field with one man down in the top of the second. Bobby Boser then provided the lead, singling to right-center with the bases loaded to plate two runs. Lawson capped off the frame with a sacrifice fly to left to bring home Nadeau for a 4-1 Gators advantage.
Florida starter Liam Peterson rebounded to retire the side in order in the second while fanning two Rebels, but Ole Miss scratched another run across in the third. Sanford reached on a two-out infield single, advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on an RBI single to center from Luke Hill.
The Rebels knotted the game at 4-4 in the fourth. With two outs, Austin Fawley hit a two-run double into the left-center field gap. Ole Miss took its second lead in the fifth at 5-4 on a solo home run to right by Sanford – his second of the game. Right-hander Jake Clemente limited the damage, recording the final two outs of the frame before striking out the side in order in the sixth.
Clemente returned to the hill in the seventh and churned out another zero by striking out Isaac Humphrey to strand the go-ahead run on third base.
In the top of the eighth, a trio of walks loaded the bases with one out to bring Lawson to the dish. On the first pitch of the at bat, the rookie uncorked a go-ahead grand slam to right-center field to give the Gators a 9-5 lead.
Ole Miss fought back to make it a two-run game in the home half. Fawley singled through the left side with two outs to plate a pair, cutting the UF edge to 9-7.
With the Gators up two in the bottom of the ninth, the Rebels loaded the bases with no outs on three-straight walks. Will Furniss tied it up with a two-run double down the right-field line while Fawley walked it off for a 10-9 win via a sacrifice fly to right field.
Rebels relief pitcher Hudson Calhoun (2-0) picked up the victory, throwing two innings of two-run ball on one hit, one walk and two strikeouts.
Florida reliever Jackson Barberi (1-1) was stuck with the loss. The freshman pitched two-thirds of an inning and gave up one earned run on one hit and two walks.
Peterson did not factor into the decision. The sophomore was charged with five earned runs on seven hits and one walk while fanning six batters.
Maddox also received a no-decision, allowing four earned runs on four hits and three walks over 1 1/3 innings. He struck out one.
Game 2 | Florida 11, Ole Miss 8
Florida struck first in game two, as Heyman drilled his second homer of the day via a two-run shot to left to open a 2-0 lead in the top of the second. Blake Cyr also scored on the drive after singling to lead off the frame.
Ole Miss cut the UF advantage in half in the bottom of the second inning at 2-1. Judd Utermark singled to center to plate Furniss, but Yost cut down Hayden Federico attempting to go first to third for the second out. Gators starter Alex Philpott then induced a flyout of Brayden Randle to eliminate the threat.
The Rebels tied the contest in the third by using a solo homer to left by Fawley. Ryan Moerman then gave Ole Miss a 3-2 lead with an RBI single through the left side. One inning later, the Rebels pushed the score to 4-2 on a sacrifice fly to right by Sanford.
Colby Shelton brought the Gators within one at 4-3 in the fifth, swatting a two-out homer to right-center field. Southpaw McCall Biemiller kept UF within striking distance, entering in the bottom of the fifth and working a scoreless inning.
Thanks to the zero, Florida snagged a 5-4 lead in the sixth. Staying red hot, Heyman led off with a single to left. The UF catcher later scored on a double down the left-field line from Ty Evans, aided by a fielding error in left field. Yost then lined a go-ahead single to right to plate Evans.
Biemiller worked another zero in the sixth, but the Rebels came roaring back in the seventh. Moerman tied the contest with a sacrifice fly to center while Furniss left the yard to right field for a two-run tank to give Ole Miss a 7-5 edge.
Mashing his third homer of the day, Heyman deposited the first pitch of the top of the eighth into the left-field seats. That cut the Florida deficit to 7-6, but the Rebels got the run right back in the home half on an RBI single by Hill to bring the score to 8-6.
With their backs up against the wall, Florida rallied for five runs in the ninth to jump back in front at 11-8. Shelton singled home Nadeau to get it going, follow by a bases-loaded walk of Heyman to tie the game. From there, Landon Stripling came through with a clutch, two-run single to right to give the Gators a 10-8 edge. Heyman scampered home on a double play ball off the bat of Evans to bring the Gators to 11 runs.
The Rebels loaded the bags in the bottom of the ninth, but Billy Barlow induced a groundout of Randle to second base to earn his first save as a Gator.
UF reliever Luke McNeillie earned the victory, pitching a 1 1/3 innings with one run allowed on two hits and two strikeouts. Ole Miss relief pitcher Brayden Jones (1-1) was saddled with the loss after giving up five earned runs on five hits and one walk in one-third of a frame.
Philpott did not factor into the decision in his first start of the year, forfeiting four earned runs across four innings. The righty allowed eight hits and one walk while fanning two Rebels.
Rebels starter Mason Nichols did not receive a decision, pitching 3 1/3 frames with two runs surrendered on three hits, one walk and three strikeouts.
NOTABLES
* Peterson allowed his first home run of the year in the first inning of the first game.
* Heyman homered three times with three hits apiece in both ends of Friday's doubleheader to finish 6-for-9 with five RBI across the twin bill.
* Heyman notched multiple hits in all three games of the series, going 8-for-13 with three homers, two doubles, six RBI and five runs scored.
* In the first game, Heyman hammered his fourth homer of the season to tie the game in the second and later added a game-tying double in the seventh.
* Heyman finished a triple shy of the cycle while going 3-for-5 in game one.
* Heyman homered twice in the finale.
* Entering Friday with three homers on the season, Heyman homered three times to double his season total to six.
* In four career games at Ole Miss, Heyman is 10-for-16 with four homers, two doubles, eight RBI and seven runs.
* He has multiple hits in all four career games at Swayze Field.
* Boser took sole control of the team lead in RBI (30) in the first game.
* Florida 7-8-9 hitters (Heyman, Yost and Nadeau) reached base three times apiece while accounting for six of the Gators' nine hits in the first game.
* Lawson launched a grand slam in the eighth for his seventh homer of the year, giving Florida a 9-5 advantage in the first game.
* Philpott made his fourth-career start including his first of the season in the finale.
* Shelton smacked his fourth homer of the season in the finale.
* Stripling provided the game-winning RBI with a two-run single in the ninth inning of the finale.
* Barlow earned his first save in Orange & Blue.
* The Gators posted their seventh comeback win in game three.
* Florida is now 58-55 overall and 24-35 in Oxford in the all-time series against Ole Miss.
* The Gators are 21-16 overall and 9-12 on the road vs. the Rebels under Head Coach Kevin O'Sullivan
* Friday's official attendance was 9,576.
FROM HEAD COACH KEVIN O'SULLIVAN
On getting a much-needed win…
"We battled arguably their best relief pitcher there at the end. Obviously, Justin got it going with a ball down the left-field line for a double, and Bobby had a good at bat, and Colby and Blake and Luke, and Landon obviously had the big [hit] there to open it up there a little bit."
On the thought process entering the ninth…
"I think that everybody is a bit frustrated at this point, but we did battle. We scored five in the ninth to put one of these games out. Just unfortunate we weren't able to close out the first one."
On Heyman's incredible series…
"It was probably the best weekend he's had all year long. Hit three home runs I think on the day. Obviously, he had a great day. He caught really well as well."
UP NEXT
Florida returns home to host North Florida at Condron Family Ballpark on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. on Sec Network+.
OXFORD, Miss. – Florida split a Friday doubleheader against Ole Miss, coming up short, 10-9, before rallying for a come-from-behind, 11-8 victory in the finale at Swayze Field.
With the split, the Rebels (21-6, 6-3 SEC) claimed the series with wins in two of three against the Gators (19-11, 1-8 SEC).
Florida backstop Luke Heyman was outstanding on both sides of the baseball on Friday. Catching every inning of the doubleheader, Heyman finished 6-for-9 with three home runs, one double, five RBI and three runs on the day. He went yard and collected three hits in both contests.
Game 1 | Ole Miss 10, Florida 9
The Gators created traffic in the top of the first, as Justin Nadeau worked a leadoff walk while Brendan Lawson moved him to third with a two-out single to left-center. The Rebels eliminated the threat as starter Austin Maddox induced a groundout of Brody Donay, then promptly took a 1-0 lead in the home half on a first-pitch, leadoff homer to right-center by Mitchell Sanford.
The Ole Miss advantage was short-lived, as Heyman evened the tally with a solo home run to left field with one man down in the top of the second. Bobby Boser then provided the lead, singling to right-center with the bases loaded to plate two runs. Lawson capped off the frame with a sacrifice fly to left to bring home Nadeau for a 4-1 Gators advantage.
Florida starter Liam Peterson rebounded to retire the side in order in the second while fanning two Rebels, but Ole Miss scratched another run across in the third. Sanford reached on a two-out infield single, advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on an RBI single to center from Luke Hill.
The Rebels knotted the game at 4-4 in the fourth. With two outs, Austin Fawley hit a two-run double into the left-center field gap. Ole Miss took its second lead in the fifth at 5-4 on a solo home run to right by Sanford – his second of the game. Right-hander Jake Clemente limited the damage, recording the final two outs of the frame before striking out the side in order in the sixth.
Clemente returned to the hill in the seventh and churned out another zero by striking out Isaac Humphrey to strand the go-ahead run on third base.
In the top of the eighth, a trio of walks loaded the bases with one out to bring Lawson to the dish. On the first pitch of the at bat, the rookie uncorked a go-ahead grand slam to right-center field to give the Gators a 9-5 lead.
Ole Miss fought back to make it a two-run game in the home half. Fawley singled through the left side with two outs to plate a pair, cutting the UF edge to 9-7.
With the Gators up two in the bottom of the ninth, the Rebels loaded the bases with no outs on three-straight walks. Will Furniss tied it up with a two-run double down the right-field line while Fawley walked it off for a 10-9 win via a sacrifice fly to right field.
Rebels relief pitcher Hudson Calhoun (2-0) picked up the victory, throwing two innings of two-run ball on one hit, one walk and two strikeouts.
Florida reliever Jackson Barberi (1-1) was stuck with the loss. The freshman pitched two-thirds of an inning and gave up one earned run on one hit and two walks.
Peterson did not factor into the decision. The sophomore was charged with five earned runs on seven hits and one walk while fanning six batters.
Maddox also received a no-decision, allowing four earned runs on four hits and three walks over 1 1/3 innings. He struck out one.
Game 2 | Florida 11, Ole Miss 8
Florida struck first in game two, as Heyman drilled his second homer of the day via a two-run shot to left to open a 2-0 lead in the top of the second. Blake Cyr also scored on the drive after singling to lead off the frame.
Ole Miss cut the UF advantage in half in the bottom of the second inning at 2-1. Judd Utermark singled to center to plate Furniss, but Yost cut down Hayden Federico attempting to go first to third for the second out. Gators starter Alex Philpott then induced a flyout of Brayden Randle to eliminate the threat.
The Rebels tied the contest in the third by using a solo homer to left by Fawley. Ryan Moerman then gave Ole Miss a 3-2 lead with an RBI single through the left side. One inning later, the Rebels pushed the score to 4-2 on a sacrifice fly to right by Sanford.
Colby Shelton brought the Gators within one at 4-3 in the fifth, swatting a two-out homer to right-center field. Southpaw McCall Biemiller kept UF within striking distance, entering in the bottom of the fifth and working a scoreless inning.
Thanks to the zero, Florida snagged a 5-4 lead in the sixth. Staying red hot, Heyman led off with a single to left. The UF catcher later scored on a double down the left-field line from Ty Evans, aided by a fielding error in left field. Yost then lined a go-ahead single to right to plate Evans.
Biemiller worked another zero in the sixth, but the Rebels came roaring back in the seventh. Moerman tied the contest with a sacrifice fly to center while Furniss left the yard to right field for a two-run tank to give Ole Miss a 7-5 edge.
Mashing his third homer of the day, Heyman deposited the first pitch of the top of the eighth into the left-field seats. That cut the Florida deficit to 7-6, but the Rebels got the run right back in the home half on an RBI single by Hill to bring the score to 8-6.
With their backs up against the wall, Florida rallied for five runs in the ninth to jump back in front at 11-8. Shelton singled home Nadeau to get it going, follow by a bases-loaded walk of Heyman to tie the game. From there, Landon Stripling came through with a clutch, two-run single to right to give the Gators a 10-8 edge. Heyman scampered home on a double play ball off the bat of Evans to bring the Gators to 11 runs.
The Rebels loaded the bags in the bottom of the ninth, but Billy Barlow induced a groundout of Randle to second base to earn his first save as a Gator.
UF reliever Luke McNeillie earned the victory, pitching a 1 1/3 innings with one run allowed on two hits and two strikeouts. Ole Miss relief pitcher Brayden Jones (1-1) was saddled with the loss after giving up five earned runs on five hits and one walk in one-third of a frame.
Philpott did not factor into the decision in his first start of the year, forfeiting four earned runs across four innings. The righty allowed eight hits and one walk while fanning two Rebels.
Rebels starter Mason Nichols did not receive a decision, pitching 3 1/3 frames with two runs surrendered on three hits, one walk and three strikeouts.
NOTABLES
* Peterson allowed his first home run of the year in the first inning of the first game.
* Heyman homered three times with three hits apiece in both ends of Friday's doubleheader to finish 6-for-9 with five RBI across the twin bill.
* Heyman notched multiple hits in all three games of the series, going 8-for-13 with three homers, two doubles, six RBI and five runs scored.
* In the first game, Heyman hammered his fourth homer of the season to tie the game in the second and later added a game-tying double in the seventh.
* Heyman finished a triple shy of the cycle while going 3-for-5 in game one.
* Heyman homered twice in the finale.
* Entering Friday with three homers on the season, Heyman homered three times to double his season total to six.
* In four career games at Ole Miss, Heyman is 10-for-16 with four homers, two doubles, eight RBI and seven runs.
* He has multiple hits in all four career games at Swayze Field.
* Boser took sole control of the team lead in RBI (30) in the first game.
* Florida 7-8-9 hitters (Heyman, Yost and Nadeau) reached base three times apiece while accounting for six of the Gators' nine hits in the first game.
* Lawson launched a grand slam in the eighth for his seventh homer of the year, giving Florida a 9-5 advantage in the first game.
* Philpott made his fourth-career start including his first of the season in the finale.
* Shelton smacked his fourth homer of the season in the finale.
* Stripling provided the game-winning RBI with a two-run single in the ninth inning of the finale.
* Barlow earned his first save in Orange & Blue.
* The Gators posted their seventh comeback win in game three.
* Florida is now 58-55 overall and 24-35 in Oxford in the all-time series against Ole Miss.
* The Gators are 21-16 overall and 9-12 on the road vs. the Rebels under Head Coach Kevin O'Sullivan
* Friday's official attendance was 9,576.
FROM HEAD COACH KEVIN O'SULLIVAN
On getting a much-needed win…
"We battled arguably their best relief pitcher there at the end. Obviously, Justin got it going with a ball down the left-field line for a double, and Bobby had a good at bat, and Colby and Blake and Luke, and Landon obviously had the big [hit] there to open it up there a little bit."
On the thought process entering the ninth…
"I think that everybody is a bit frustrated at this point, but we did battle. We scored five in the ninth to put one of these games out. Just unfortunate we weren't able to close out the first one."
On Heyman's incredible series…
"It was probably the best weekend he's had all year long. Hit three home runs I think on the day. Obviously, he had a great day. He caught really well as well."
UP NEXT
Florida returns home to host North Florida at Condron Family Ballpark on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. on Sec Network+.
