On Friday, it poured rain in Gainesville. The weather was disruptive enough to force Florida and Seton Hall’s opening game of the weekend series to be pushed back another day and serve as the first game of a double header.
The doubleheader came around on Saturday, yet it continued to pour. This time, though, the torrential downpour was made up of something a little more favorable to the Florida faithful: runs.
Florida (13-3) picked up two wins in a double header against Seton Hall (0-12) on Saturday, 16-4 and 11-9. Gators HC Kevin O’Sullivan’s group put up some of its best offensive and defensive play of the season against the currently winless Pirates.
The first game set the tone for the entire doubleheader, and the Gators wasted no time opening up the scoring. Sophomore Wyatt Langford hit an RBI triple to right field in the first inning. Deric Fabian launched a 2 RBI home run in the third and Florida was off to the races with a 3-0 lead.
The onslaught was just beginning. Florida went on a rampage with its longest scoring stretch of the game in the fifth and six innings. Langford homered and four other Gators helped contribute to a total of 11 RBIs to bring the score up to 14-0.
Seton Hall continued to go without a run while the Gators ran up the score through the first six innings. Sophomore ace Hunter Barco deserves a majority of the praise for Florida’s defensive stand, recording six Ks and a 1.52 ERA in his 6.1 innings pitched before freshman Karl Hartman relieved Barco of his duties.
The Pirates would rack up their four runs in the seventh and eighth with the game all but over. Rene Lastres and Josh Rivera added two more runs to cap off a dominant first game for the Gators.
In the second matchup, the Florida freight train kept on rolling. Brandon Sproat put on another solid performance for the Gators. Even after allowing six hits, Sproat and the Florida defense held the Pirates to just three runs during his shift on the rubber. The sophomore finished with a 2.11 ERA and exited after his sixth inning.
Offensively, Florida chose to go about running up the score in bursts rather than a long stretch of dominance for game two. After Seton Hall escaped the first inning with just a bases loaded walk for UF, the Gators blasted the Pirates’ defense with four runs in the third. Florida then racked up four more runs in the fifth including a two RBI home run by Gators star Jud Fabian.
Florida entered the 9th inning up 11-3. Seton Hall put up an admirable effort to rally, managing six runs in the final frame of play. Despite the near-comeback, freshman pitcher Brandon Neely was able to shut down the Pirates’ hopes and walk away with the doubleheader sweep for Florida.
Notable Perfomances
Game One
- Wyatt Langford
- 3 H, 5 RBI, 1 HR
- Jud Fabian
- 2 H, 3 RBI, 1 HR
Game Two
- Jud Fabian
- 1 H, 3 RBI, 1 HR
- Deric Fabian
- 1 H, 2 RBI
Pitching Decision
Game One
- Hunter Barco (W, 3-1)
- 6.1 IP, 6 K, 2 H, 0 ER
Game Two
- Brandon Sproat (W, 3-1)
- 6 IP, 5 K, 6 H, 3 ER
- Brandon Neely (Save, 1)
- 0.1 IP, 1 K, 0 H, 0 ER
On Deck
The Gators will meet Seton Hall on Sunday at home for the third and final time and have the chance to secure their second series sweep of the season. First pitch is scheduled for noon and the game will be broadcast on SEC Network+.