Florida baseball beats North Florida to get back above .500
Florida Gators baseball will head into the second weekend of the season with a winning record after beating North Florida, 3-1, on Wednesday.
Sophomore right-hander Brandon Sproat pitched five strong innings and got the win for the Gators. He struck out a career-high eight batters and worked his way out of a bases-loaded jam in the fifth while allowing just one run. Blake Purnell came in for his second-straight day of relief work and Ryan Slater shut the door with a save that lasted 2 1/3 innings.
Florida’s offense came early in the ballgame. Left fielder Wyatt Langford scored the first run of the game after reaching on a walk and advancing on a wild pitch and sacrifice bunt. Right fielder Tucker Talbott, who went 4-for-5 in his debut against Stetson on Tuesday, knocked Langford in with a groundout. Shortstop Colby Halter delivered the deciding runs with a two-run home run in the third.
Halter’s blast forced UNF to go to the bullpen and Florida’s bats quieted down for the rest of the evening. The Gators only managed one hit after the fourth inning, but it was enough to secure the win behind an encouraging performance from the pitching staff.
Sproat looks primed to wind up as the Gators Saturday starter, and Slater is the team’s closer heading into the weekend. Hitting is a bit more questionable, but this team is too talented to stay quiet at the plate for long. Designated hitter Kris Armstrong has struggled in particular, hitting just 1-for-20 (.050) over the first week of the season.
Florida opens the series against Georgia State on Friday with Hunter Barco as the probable starter.
Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.
