April 25, 2012
Complete Results
Reach Baseball Contact Michael Stambaugh for more details by E-Mail
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - The #2 Florida Gators (32-10) scored in seven straight innings to down the Wildcats (24-18), Wednesday night at UF's McKethan Stadium. Though the Wildcats played defensively well at times and contained the Gators inning-by-inning, the lead began to accumulate, en route to a 10-1 loss for B-CU.
After holding Florida scoreless and striking out two Gators in the first inning, UF put up runs in the second through eighth, highlighted by a two-run Preston Tucker homer to right field in the sixth, halting the beginnings of a Wildcat rally.
In the top of that same inning, Brandon Turner set the stage to get B-CU on the board, leading off with a single to intermediate right field. Advanced on a sacrifice bunt, Brashad Johnson brought Turner home to get the Wildcats on the board with an RBI single up the middle in the then 5-1 game.
Ultimately, little defensive breakdowns for B-CU, including two errors, kept the scoring alive for the Gators.
“You just can't give teams more than three outs an inning,” Head Coach Jason Beverlin noted of defensive letdowns. “We've just got to regroup and do our best to be ready to play this weekend.”
Turner had a solid day at the plate, leading B-CU with 3-4 hitting, while B. Johnson was 2-4 with the RBI.
“He's seeing the ball deep and really embracing the kind of hitter that he is,” Beverlin said of Turner. “He's not trying to do too much and is doing a good job of doing what he does well; hitting the ball where it's pitched and really squaring it up.”
Freshman Jake Welch started as the designated hitter and batted 2-3 on the night.
The Wildcats were not hitting poorly at the plate, with nine base hits, but were unable to capitalize on opportunities; leaving seven runners on base.
“They're well-coached, and they executed,” Beverlin said of the second-ranked Gators. “When you play a team this talented, a lot of times the difference is execution.”
The Wildcats now turn their attention back to Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play and the upcoming televised matchup with North Carolina A&T, broadcast Friday at noon live on ESPNU. With the change in schedule, the team departed directly from Gainesville to Greensboro.
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