A loss by Georgia always brings a smile to the faces of Gators fans, but this particular loss earned a loud burst from the crowd.
UF clinched the Southeastern Conference East Division title Thursday thanks to a win by South Carolina over Georgia.
To add to the memorable night, No. 13 UF (37-17, 18-10 SEC) put on a show in front of its home fans and beat Kentucky (27-25, 11-17 SEC) by a score of 10-3.
"Tonight was real big for us," left fielder Avery Barnes said. "We knew we had to come in this weekend and play extremely well."
Barnes, the leadoff hitter, went 4 for 5 and scored 3 runs. He scored one of those runs in the first inning off of a wild pitch.
"He's our sparkplug, and I think if you look back, ever since we put him at the top of the order again he has made our offense go," UF coach Kevin O'Sullivan said.
But he wasn't the only one creating nightmares for the Kentucky pitchers.
Second baseman Josh Adams ended the game with three hits and four RBIs.
Two of those RBIs came during a crucial fifth inning that the Gators used to separate themselves from the Wildcats. With the Gators up 3-2 and runners on second and third, Adams hit a single up the middle to drive those 2 runs home and increase the lead to 5-2.
Eight out of the nine UF hitters either scored a run or had an RBI on Thursday.
However, UF didn't need that level of hitting with the way senior Stephen Locke (4-1, 4.88 ERA) pitched.
The left-hander turned in 7.1 innings and gave up only 3 runs while striking out four batters. Two of the runs were scored off of a home run in the second inning. After that, Locke was able to bounce back and go deep into the game.
"That's what veterans do. He's got the ability to stop the bleeding," O'Sullivan said.
With two more games to go in the regular season, UF still has plenty to play for.
Although LSU won on Thursday night, the Gators are only one game behind the Tigers in their quest to end the season atop the SEC.
"We want to play for a ring," O'Sullivan said. "We want to be SEC regular-season champions."
On Friday night, the Gators will continue their series with the Wildcats. Freshman right-hander Anthony DeSclafani (5-2, 3.81) will get the start for UF, while senior left-hander Chris Rusin (6-4, 3.96) will pitch for Kentucky.
