Spring Sports Thread

[ocalaman]

Agreed. Should have made some plays, that may not have shown up as errors, but were errors. It was also a mistake in the 8th for Fabian not to score from second on the single.

Totally agree about Fabian not scoring on Thompson's single in the 8th. I know he had to hold up to make sure the soft liner cleared the infield but the ball took 3 bounces before the centerfielder got to it and he had plenty of time to score. Don't know if he held up or the 2b coach stopped him, but it was definitely mistake. But even with that, Jordan Butler and Josh Rivera struck out after that hit. Butler has done nothing at the plate and needs to sit down. So we have bases loaded, 1 out in the 8th and get nothing; they they get a bunt single, an error and a 2 out 2 run hit in the bottom of the inning. Our defense sucks and our pitching is so erratic it's just baffling considering the talented arms. Need to suck it up and win the next 2 games, but we're only 5-8 on the road this year. 3 errors and a couple of other miscues killed us.

 

[ocalaman]

UF softball had a come from behind 5-3 win over Texas A&M tonight to take the first game of the series. The Gators need a sweep to tie to for the SEC title and earn the #1 seed in the Conference tournament. Florida fell behind early as Elizabeth Hightower got touched up for 7 hits and 3 runs in her 3 innings of work. Katie Chronister threw the last 4 innings, giving up no hits and 2 walks in picking up her 8th win. UF started their comback with 2 runs in the bottom of the 3rd on double from Cheyenne Lindsay and Hannah Adams and an RBI single from Kendyl Lindaman. But they came up in the bottom of the 7th trailing 3-2. Lindsay and Adams walked and after Lindaman popped out, Charla Echols blasted a walk off 3-run HR for the win.

 

[ocalaman]

Meanwhile, #8 Gator lacrosse advanced to the finals of the AAC tournament yesterday with a 19-6 thumping of Cincinnati to improve to 15-2. They play Temple Saturday at Noon for the tournament championship.

#11 ranked UF Women's tennis opened NCAA tournament play by easily beating MAAC champ Sienna 4-0. They play Southern Cal, who edged out Oklahoma 4-3, Saturday at 4 pm for the right to advance to the Sweet 16.

 

[Countygator1]

Ocala what's up with the baseball team?

 

[bradleygator]

Big win tonight for baseball. Scoring 4 in the top of the 9th. Best pitcher going tomorrow for the series win. 2 more errors tonight and Mace was spotty but battled and kept us in the game. Bats keep coming. Calilou’s bat should be in the lineup every night. I don’t understand why he sits. 1B, DH, outfield, whatever. Get his bat in the lineup.

 

[Countygator1]

Big win tonight for baseball. Scoring 4 in the top of the 9th. Best pitcher going tomorrow for the series win. 2 more errors tonight and Mace was spotty but battled and kept us in the game. Bats keep coming. Calilou’s bat should be in the lineup every night. I don’t understand why he sits. 1B, DH, outfield, whatever. Get his bat in the lineup.

Wow!! Needed the W. Important for these guys to get a top 16 seed. Need to host.

 

[bradleygator]

Wow!! Needed the W. Important for these guys to get a top 16 seed. Need to host.

If we win the rest of our SEC series, I don’t think a top 8 seed is out of the question. We close at Arky, and then there’s the sec tourney. Tomorrow is huge. Luckily we’ve got our best pitcher throwing and this lineup is grinding.

 

[ocalaman]

Ocala what's up with the baseball team?

Defense is bad, pitching is inconsistent, hitting is pretty good, but these guys grind and battle. Tonight's game vs. Kentucky was a microcosm of the season so far. Tommy Mace is passionate and was great at times. But he lost his cool a couple of times when calls didn't go his way and made some bad pitches afterwards that led to KY runs. But our guys kept fighting back. Fabian hit 2 home runs in the pouring rain. We took a lead, then gave it back. We tied it up then had a balk and an error and then let them take the lead in the bottom of the 8th. In the 9th, Kris Armstrong and Cory Acton had clutch 2 out hits to tie it up again and then Kendrick Calilao hit a 3 run HR, game winner. Leftwich closed it out. How does Sully decide who to put in the field or on the mound? It's crazy game to game. The talent is there, but it's a strange team. Exciting to watch, no doubt. We can't defend teams running on us, we make too many errors, we often can't drive in runs when needed, we make bad pitches with 2 strikes - and yet these guys keep battling and have a chance to be really, really good.

 

[grommit]

It's very odd to have the most errors in the SEC this year and have the lowest fielding percentage in the SEC. Normally this is our strength and we are usually at the top of these two stats.

That has hurt us more than the inconsistent pitching this year. Gave up too many runs all season long to teams that didn't 'earn' the wins against us.

 

[ocalaman]

#8 UF Lacrosse easily won their conference tournament today, blasting Temple in the finals 19-4. They now await the NCAA tournament bracket selections to see where and whom they play. Another great job by Amanda O'Leary, who has won whatever conference the Gators have been in every season except her first year on the job.

 

[bradleygator]

Nice series win for baseball. Two weeks in a row we have lost game 1 and been down in game 2 and won both. Team definitely has some fight. And the lineup is churning. Win a series against UGA next weekend and we’ll be playing Arky for a national seed.

 

[Countygator1]

Great job by the baseball team. We aren't very good on the mound and lousy on defense so let's get the best bats in the lineup and go!

 

[ocalaman]

Hunter Barco was great today - 6.2 innings, 2 hits 1 walk, 10 strikeouts. The defense played errorless ball and even though we stranded 13 baserunners, the offense scored 9 runs. Jacob Young had a great day with 4 hits and 4 RBI, Calilao, Hickey and Rivera had 2 hits each. Christian Scott gave up 2 solo HR's in the 8th and he gave up 2 solo HR's in the 9th Tuesday night against Stetson. But Leftwich closed it out well. We're now 33-14, 15-9 in the SEC, 3-1 for the week. Nexdt game is at Stetson Tuesday night and 3 at home vs. Georgia. Need to sweep the week, if possible, as we close out the season at Arkansas.

 

[ocalaman]

UF softball improved to 39-8, 18-5 in the SEC behind a 4-hit shutout from Natalie Lugo (14-2). The Gators got a 2 run HR from Charla Echols in the 3rd and then solo HR's from Cheyenne Lindsay & Hannah Adams in the 6th. If the Gators win Sunday at noon, they claim a share of the SEC regular season title with Arkansas and earn the #1 seed by virtue of having a better record than Arky vs. Alabama. Go Gators!

 

[ocalaman]

#1 UF Men's tennis opened NCAA tournament play by easily beating South Alabama 4-0 Saturday afternoon. They play South Florida, a 4-2 winner over Duke, Sunday at 2 pm for the right to advance to the Sweet 16. Coach Bryan Shelton changed up 2 of the doubles teams, as they have been losing the crucial doubles point of late. It paid off today, followed by the #1, 2 & 3 singles players, Duarte Vale, Sam Riffice and Andy Andrade all winning in straight sets.

 

[Countygator1]

Looks like the women's tennis team got beat 4-1 against Southern Cal. Tough season.

 

[gatordad3]

Nice series win for baseball. Two weeks in a row we have lost game 1 and been down in game 2 and won both. Team definitely has some fight. And the lineup is churning. Win a series against UGA next weekend and we’ll be playing Arky for a national seed.

Can we please have more of Calilao and less of Jordan Butler?

 

[grommit]

Can we please have more of Calilao and less of Jordan Butler?

That's hard to go on. This team is week to week and some players are hot one game and cold the next. Against KY in game 1 and 2, our best Freshman Hickey was 0-8. Some of these guys have had a good month, then a bad month and Sully is constantly having to rotate is batting order as well as his pitchers. I like having Barco as the weekend closer to almost guarantee us that game 3 victory in whatever contest we're in.

 

[Nicktheslick]

That's hard to go on. This team is week to week and some players are hot one game and cold the next. Against KY in game 1 and 2, our best Freshman Hickey was 0-8. Some of these guys have had a good month, then a bad month and Sully is constantly having to rotate is batting order as well as his pitchers. I like having Barco as the weekend closer to almost guarantee us that game 3 victory in whatever contest we're in.

I agree. Barco is the key to this pitching staff. Mace and Leftwich have been inconsistent at best.

 

[ocalaman]

Looks like the women's tennis team got beat 4-1 against Southern Cal. Tough season.

They were seeded 11th in the tournament and got upset on their home court by a USC team that was 12=10 and finished in a tie for 5th in the Pac 12. The Gators finished 2nd in the SEC this year and were hoping to make a run in the NCAA tournament, so it was a disappointing ending.

 

[bradleygator]

That's hard to go on. This team is week to week and some players are hot one game and cold the next. Against KY in game 1 and 2, our best Freshman Hickey was 0-8. Some of these guys have had a good month, then a bad month and Sully is constantly having to rotate is batting order as well as his pitchers. I like having Barco as the weekend closer to almost guarantee us that game 3 victory in whatever contest we're in.

I like Barco on Sundays as well. But Calilou has hit pretty consistently, not just this year either, and has had some big hits. I’m sure Butler is better defensively, but I think it’s a missed opportunity when calilou sits.

 

[ocalaman]

I like Barco on Sundays as well. But Calilou has hit pretty consistently, not just this year either, and has had some big hits. I’m sure Butler is better defensively, but I think it’s a missed opportunity when calilou sits.

I think Calilao is a better defensive first baseman than Butler. However, with Hickey not catching, he has to play 1b if he's not DH'ing and then what do you do with Kris Armstrong? Sterlin Thompson, also, has had a very solid year in RF and O'Sullivan is very high on him. Quite a quandry.

 

[grommit]

Congrats to Tim Walton and the Gator Girls Softball team for winning the SEC championship over ATM just now. This was their 10th come from behind win of the year and they are now slated to be the #1 seed in the national women's college world series.

 

[ocalaman]

UF Softball, 40-8, 19-5, got their 10th come-from-behind win of the year, by beating Texas A&M today 6-5 to clinch a share of the SEC title and the #1 seed in the SEC tournament. Natalie Lugo, who was great Saturday, didn't have it today in the start, as she gave up 4 singles, a hit batter and wild pitch in the 1st inning, plus a single and double in the 4th, to put the Gators in a 4-0 hole. Katie Chronister (9-2) relieved, threw 3.1 innings and only gave up 1 hit, a solo HR in the 6th to a freshman who had not hit a HR until today. The Gators did not have a hit until the bottom of the 5th when Hannah Adams hit a 2-run HR. Jamie Hoover then got a bases loaded, 2-out single to tie the game. The Aggies took their 5-4 lead to the bottom of the 7th, but after Kendyl Lindaman flew out, Charla Echols doubled and Julia Cottrill followed with a 2 run blast to walk off the game. Great win for another championship Tim Walton team. The Gators finished the regular season with an SEC leading .983 fielding percentage, a 1.72 team ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 240 K's to 89 BB's, only allowing 21 HR's, while hitting 47. Their team batting average is .280, with 239 RBI, a .457 slugging percentage, with 188 walks and 194 strikeouts.

 

[ocalaman]

Congrats to Tim Walton and the Gator Girls Softball team for winning the SEC championship over ATM just now. This was their 10th come from behind win of the year and they are now slated to be the #1 seed in the national women's college world series.

#1 seed in the SEC tournament, not the NCAA World Series.

 

[grommit]

#1 seed in the SEC tournament, not the NCAA World Series.

Right right, sorry. Hadn't realized that till I got back into the game. Been outside all day. They won a share of the SEC regular season championship with the win today.

 

[ocalaman]

#1 UF Men's Tennis knocked off #31 South Florida today 4-1 to advance to the Sweet 16 on May 17 at 7 pm. The Gators lost the doubles point, but won 4 straight singles matches in straight set and were leading in the other 2 when the deciding 4th point was won. Their next opponent is #16 Illinois, who has beaten DePaul 4-0 and Notre Dame 4-1. Seeded teams who have been upset so far are #10 Wake Forest, who lost to Ohio State, #9 UCF who lost to Mississippi State, and #14 Kentucky, who lost to Arizona.

 

[gatordad3]

From Friday as Leftwich pissed off the KY dugout with a shoulder shrug, or two

 

[ocalaman]

UF Lacrosse has earned the #6 seed for the NCAA tournament after winning the AAC regular season and tournament championships again, finishing the season with a 16-2, 10-0 record. The Gators will face 7-7 Mercer in their opening game Friday at 4 pm. Mercer upset Coastal Carolina and Furman to win the automatic bid from the Southern Conference. Vanderbilt (12-6, 7-3), who the Gators beat twice during the regular season and Jacksonville (11-1, 3-0), who upset Florida 12-11 during the regular season, will meet in the other Regional match in Gainesville. The two winners will face off next Sunday at Noon. North Carolina, who handed the Gators their only other loss on the season 11-5 on February 19, is the overall #1 seed, with Florida in line to probably face #3 Syracuse for the right to go to the Final 4 if they win their matches this weekend. Here are more details on Amanda O'Leary's squad and the upcoming tournament: https://floridagators.com/news/2021...ncaa-hosting-rights-as-no-6-overall-seed.aspx

 

[ocalaman]

UF baseball moved up to #9 in the D1 rankings this week and up to #18 in SOS, then lost tonight in Deland to Stetson 6-1. They couldn't get their bats going, getting walked 6 times to go with 3 hits. Our only run was unearned in the 2nd. Brandon Sproat had a great start on the mound, throwing 4 innings, 50 pitches, 1 walk, 1 hit and 2 K's. David Luethje went 1.2 innings, giving up on a hit and a walk. Trey Van Der Weide followed. he only got 1 batter out and surrendered 2 hits to lead off the bottom of the 7th, then made an error on a sac bunt to load the bases. Christian Scott came in and gave up a game-tying single before striking out 3 in a row. 1-1 going to the 8th. McMullen got his 2nd hit of the game, but Calilao erased it with a double play. Ben Specht came in for the 8th, faced 6 batters, got 1 out and gave up 5 earned on 2 hit batters, 2 singles and a HR to get the loss.

 

[ocalaman]

Gator softball won their opening game in the SEC tournament, taking down a Mississippi State team that had won 8 straight, 6-2. Elizabeth Hightower threw the first 4 innings and gave up the 2 runs, while Natalie Lugo pitched the last 3 and picked up the win to run her record to 15-2, the Gators going to 41-8. Florida was shut out until the bottom of the 5th when Kendyl Lindaman hit a 3-run HR and then Charla Echols put the game out of reach in the bottom of the 6th with her own 3-run blast. The Gators will be playing the tournament with a makeshift lineup, as catcher/DH Julia Cottrill stayed behind in Gainesville due to an illness. She's been one of their better hitters of late, is a solid defensive catcher and a team leader.

 

[ocalaman]

#6 UF Lacrosse opened their NCAA tournament run at home by blasting Mercer 23-5. The Gators led 18-1 at halftime and coasted to the easy win. They play the Vandy/Jax winner on Sunday at Noon.

 

[ocalaman]

Gator softball clawed their way to the SEC tournament championship game by beating a tough Missouri team 7-6. The Gators had a 5-1 lead going to the 6th and gave up a solo HR in the 6th and then allowed Missouri to score 4 runs with 2 outs and nobody when the rally started. But Florida rallied in the bottom of the inning on a walk to Adams, a HBP by Wilkie, a ground out from Echols that moved the runners up, Lindaman hit a sac fly to tie the game and then an error on their SS on a hard grounder from Hoover allowed the winning run to score. Florida plays the winner of Bama/UT Saturday at 6 pm.

 

[Countygator1]

Gator softball clawed their way to the SEC tournament championship game by beating a tough Missouri team 7-6. The Gators had a 5-1 lead going to the 6th and gave up a solo HR in the 6th and then allowed Missouri to score 4 runs with 2 outs and nobody when the rally started. But Florida rallied in the bottom of the inning on a walk to Adams, a HBP by Wilkie, a ground out from Echols that moved the runners up, Lindaman hit a sac fly to tie the game and then an error on their SS on a hard grounder from Hoover allowed the winning run to score. Florida plays the winner of Bama/UT Saturday at 6 pm.

Bama rallied to beat the Vols. Surprised UT didn't throw Rodgers. Should be a good game.

 

[gatordad3]

 

[gatordad3]

 

[Countygator1]

It's nice to get a Friday night win!! I believe we had lost the 2 previous opening series games.

 

[ocalaman]

Bama rallied to beat the Vols. Surprised UT didn't throw Rodgers. Should be a good game.

Rodgers threw over 300 pitches the last 2 days. She needed a break. Tennessee has 4 pitchers, but Rodgers is the only really good one. Surprised the Vols hung in there not using her. Alabama is playing great right now and it's going to be tough for th Gators to beat them, especially with the way Hightower is struggling right now. Chronitser is great 1 time through the lineup, but not so much after that. Lugo is great at times, very average other times. Bama has solid hitters up and down their lineup. But our team is very resilient and doesn't get rattled. Should be an interesting game.

 

[Countygator1]

Rodgers threw over 300 pitches the last 2 days. She needed a break. Tennessee has 4 pitchers, but Rodgers is the only really good one. Surprised the Vols hung in there not using her. Alabama is playing great right now and it's going to be tough for th Gators to beat them, especially with the way Hightower is struggling right now. Chronitser is great 1 time through the lineup, but not so much after that. Lugo is great and times, very average other times. Bama has solid hitter s up and down their lineup. But our team is very resilient and doesn't get rattled. Should be an interesting game.

Agreed. We took 2 out of 3 from them in Tuscaloosa so we won't be intimidated.

 

[Countygator1]

Ouch, tough start for the ladies. Ocala called it, this pitcher hasn't been very good recently and especially today.