College Roundup: Round One To Gators

Strike One: Florida Takes Round One Against Texas A&M

HOW THE TOP 25 FARED

(1) Texas A&M: lost, 7-4, at (2) Florida

(2) Florida: won, 7-4, vs. (1) Texas A&M

(3) Miami: won, 10-4, vs. (9) North Carolina

(4) Louisville: off

(5) Mississippi State: won, 3-1, vs. (13) Mississippi

(6) Vanderbilt: lost, 4-0, vs. (7) South Carolina

(7) South Carolina: won, 4-0, at (6) Vanderbilt

(8) Texas Christian: won, 3-0, at Wichita State

(9) North Carolina: lost, 10-4, at (3) Miami

(10) California: won, 9-1, vs. UCLA

(11) Oregon State: won, 10-1, vs. Washington

(12) Florida State: won, 3-0, at Boston College

(13) Mississippi: lost, 3-1, at (5) Mississippi State

(14) Virginia: lost, 8-7, vs. North Carolina State

(15) Houston: lost, 3-1, at East Carolina

(16) Oklahoma State: lost, 5-4, at West Virginia in 10 innings

(17) Long Beach State: lost, 4-3, vs. (18) UC Santa Barbara

(18) UC Santa Barbara: won, 4-3, at (17) Long Beach State

(19) Louisiana State: postponed at Auburn

(20) Michigan: swept DH at Northwestern, 10-4 and 12-3

(21) Alabama: lost, 7-1, at Georgia

(22) Arkansas: won, 7-6, vs. Missouri

(23) Georgia Tech: suspended vs. Duke

(24) Kentucky: lost, 14-5, at Tennessee

(25) Florida Atlantic: won, 10-7, at Old Dominion

The first game of the much anticipated series between No. 1 Texas A&M and No. 2 Florida went to the Gators, as they defeated the Aggies, 7-4, on Friday. The victory extended Florida’s home winning streak to a program-record 25 games dating back to last year.

Florida took the lead with two runs in the second inning, chasing Texas A&M starter Tyler Ivey (1.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB) in the process. The Gators (25-3) built on that advantage, eventually taking a commanding 7-0 lead in the sixth inning.

Freshman third baseman Jonathan India (4-for-4, 3 RBIs) had the best game of his young career to lead the offense. Fellow freshmen Deacon Liput (2-for-3) and Nelson Maldonado (1-for-2, 2 R) also chipped in offensively.

But Texas A&M (22-4) didn’t go away quietly, eventually getting the tying run to the on-deck circle in the ninth inning. Their three-run ninth inning rally forced Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan to bring on righthander Shaun Anderson to get the final out for his fifth save of the season.

Though the Gators were in control of the top-ranked team most of the night, O’Sullivan said they can play better.

“I don’t think we played our best game,” O’Sullivan said, “but this is a mark of a good team where we can beat a really good team and not play our best.”

Texas A&M has won its first six series this season, but had only once lost the first game of a weekend: at Pepperdine on Feb. 26. The Aggies responded to that loss by blanking the Waves in the final two games of the series, but will face a stiffer test in Gainesville the next two days. The Gators will throw righthander Alex Faedo (5-0, 2.70) on Saturday and lefthander A.J. Puk (1-2, 3.49), a Preseason All-American and potential top overall draft pick, on Sunday.

Strike Two: Tyler At His Best Against Alabama

Georgia righthander Robert Tyler came within an out of throwing a no-hitter Friday, but Alabama outfielder Georgie Salem spoiled moment with two outs in the ninth inning. Salem came into the game as a pinch hitter and homered on the first pitch he faced.

Tyler retired the next batter he faced to finish his second career complete game and pick up the victory, as Georgia defeated No. 21 Alabama, 7-1. The Preseason All-American struck out nine batters and walked two.

Tyler’s no-hit bid came a week after he threw six hitless innings against Mississippi State. But unlike last week, when he walked six batters and exited the game having thrown 107 pitches in six innings, the junior was able to consistently throw strikes against Alabama, enabling him to work deeper into the game.

Tyler started the game by retiring the first 19 batters he faced before a one-out walk in the seventh inning ended his perfect game. After walking 13 batters in 11 innings in his previous two starts, against Kentucky and Mississippi State, Tyler said beginning the game well was important.

“I felt good early,” Tyler said. “I’ve been struggling lately with fastball command, so just getting that early was huge for my confidence. I was getting quick outs too—that was big for me.”

Before Salem’s homer, Tyler had faced 53 batters without giving up a hit, a streak that dated back to his start March 18 against Kentucky.

With the victory, Tyler improved to 3-1, 2.40. He has struck out 54 batters and walked 19 in 41 1/3 innings. Tyler is still a candidate to be picked in the first round in June, particularly if he can show to scouts he can consistently throw strikes, like he did Friday.

The win was also important for Georgia (16-12), after Alabama (16-10) won the first game of the series, 10-7, in 13 innings Thursday. Georgia lost its first two SEC series, and faces an unrelenting gauntlet of top-10 foes the next four weekends with series against Texas A&M, South Carolina, Florida and Vanderbilt on tap. If the Bulldogs beat the Crimson Tide on Saturday to win the series, they would carry some much needed momentum into that treacherous stretch.

Strike Three: West Virginia Grinds It Out

It didn’t come easy for West Virginia on Friday, but the Mountaineers found a way to defeat No. 16 Oklahoma State, 5-4, in 10 innings and score a big win for the program.

Jackson Cramer was the Mountaineers hero, belting a walk-off home run to lead off the 10th inning. It was the second home run of the day for Cramer (2-for-3).

The Mountaineers (13-10) were one out away from closing out a 3-1 victory, when Garrett Benge hit a three-run home run to put the Cowboys up a run in the ninth inning. But, down to their own last out in the bottom half of the ninth, the Mountaineers scratched out a run to tie the game and set up Cramer’s heroics.

Cramer, a junior, told reporters after the game that mood in the West Virginia dugout was confident going into the bottom of the ninth.

“We just kept a good attitude and we had a lot of kids up there competing,” he said. “I just think we had no doubt about winning. We just competed and it paid off.”

The Lineup

Jordan Rodgers, 1b, Tennessee: In the Volunteers’ 14-5 rout against Kentucky, Rodgers (4-for-5, 2 R) hit for the cycle and drove in eight runs. It was the third cycle in program history and extended his on-base streak to 25 games.
Nate Hoffman, rhp, Middle Tennessee State: Facing a Rice team that came into the weekend on a six-game winning streak, Hoffman (9 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 6 K) threw a three-hit shutout as Middle Tennessee State won, 3-0. Hoffman, a senior, picked up his first win of the season and beat Rice righthander Jon Duplantier, a likely top-five rounds pick in June.
Dakota Hudson, rhp, Mississippi State: In the first game of the rivalry series between Mississippi and Mississippi State, Hudson (9 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 11 K) turned in his best start of his career. In three SEC starts, Hudson is 2-0, 0.00 with a 24-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 25 innings.
Kaleb Fontenot, rhp, McNeese State: With 10 scoreless innings against Northwestern State, Fontenot (10 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K) extended his shutout streak to a program-record 28 innings. The senior threw 99 pitches in 10 innings, and the Cowboys eventually pulled out a 2-1 victory in 15 innings.
Braden Webb, rhp, South Carolina: Facing No. 6 Vanderbilt and its powerful offense, Webb (8 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 11 K) carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning and reached double-digit strikeouts for the second start in a row on the road against a top-10 opponent. Webb, a freshman, improved to 6-1, 1.70 with 53 strikeouts and 22 walks in 42 1/3 innings this season.
Matt Ramsay, DH, Michigan: In the second game of a doubleheader at Northwestern, Ramsay (5-for-6, 7 RBIs, 4 R) hit three two-run home runs to lead Michigan to its eighth straight win. The senior had not homered this season before Friday, and is now hitting .292/.378/.417.
Yamil Pagan, 1b, Alabama State: Pagan (3-for-3, HR, 2B) helped lead Alabama State’s offense as it defeated Alabama A&M, 17-2, in seven innings to improve to 10-0 in Southwestern Athletic Conference play for the first time ever. The sophomore set a career high with five RBIs and is now hitting .324/.400/.509 with four home runs.
Joe Gellenbeck, of, Xavier: After being held scoreless for six innings at Illinois State, Xavier exploded for 12 runs in the final three, led by Gellenbeck (3-for-4, 2 HR, 6 RBIs). The junior hit three-run home runs in the seventh and eighth innings, and now leads the Musketeers with eight homers in 26 games this season.
Brandon Bailey, rhp, Gonzaga: In eight scoreless innings at Pacific, Bailey struck out 13 batters, the most by a Bulldog since 2012. With the victory, the junior improved to 4-1, 1.60 with 59 strikeouts in 45 innings this season.