Buddy Reed stepped to the plate with runners on first and second in the ninth inning against Florida Atlantic. Florida needed one run for the walk-off win. It never came. The Gators’ leadoff batter reached base in the ninth and 10th frames only to leave the go-ahead run on the bases.
Reed bunted too hard and too close to FAU pitcher Kevin Alexander, who easily threw out John Sternagel on the force out to third base. Two straight fielder’s choices by Casey Turgeon and Richie Martin ended the rally. Harrison Bader singled to start the 10th inning before getting picked off at first base.
Tuesday night marked the first loss for UF in five games. It was also the first time since its run of 13 wins in 16 games that execution wasn’t there, as Coach Kevin O’Sullivan said the Gators weren’t ready to play. After three first-inning runs, the midweek matchup dragged on and on.
Facing ranked squads like Florida State and LSU has forced Florida to play perfectly on the mound and at the plate. The same level of perfection wasn’t there when UF played FAU.
“It was up and down. The hits weren’t falling for us. I’m not sure,” freshman left-hander A.J. Puk said. “It did seem kind of low.”
That’ll need to change today when No. 13 Florida (19-10, 6-3 Southeastern Conference) visits No. 22 Kentucky (20-9, 4-5 SEC) for a critical SEC series. Florida is tied for first with No. 2 South Carolina in the Eastern Division and will begin an eight game road trip at UK, USC, FSU and FGCU.
Against the Owls on Tuesday, O’Sullivan brought the team together in the third inning for a meeting. After scoring three quick first-inning runs, the Gators’ bats went silent. Florida finished 2 for 9 with runners in scoring position and left eight runners on base.
“The bottom line is we score three in the first. We score one run over the next 10,” O’Sullivan said. “We threw away a lot of at-bats.”
Sternagel provides consistency: Third base always seems to be a never-ending game of musical chairs for the Gators, but it hasn’t always been a detriment to the team.
From 2010-2012, a UF freshman third baseman—Austin Maddox, Zack Powers and Josh Tobias—made the SEC’s All-Freshman team.
But neither Powers nor Tobias won the job last season, as they platooned and combined to start 29 and 30 games, respectively.
But now, the Gators look well on their way to adding a fourth player in five years to that list with John Sternagel. He arrived at UF after a standout career at Rockledge High School where he earned Perfect Game All-American honors with future teammates Brett Morales and Puk.
Sternagel has hit .313 with six RBIs in five-straight starts at third and has split time with Tobias and fellow freshman Pete Alonso at the position. O’Sullivan said on Tuesday night that Sternagel gives the Gators a run producer in the latter part of the lineup. He’s batted seventh or eighth in each of his nine starts.
“He’s stepping up right now. He’s definitely coming through when we need him,” second baseman Casey Turgeon said. “It’s good to see a young player doing that.”
Puk continues pitching prowess: Puk had one pitch Tuesday night he’d like to forget. In the fifth inning, he tossed an 0-2 fastball to C.J. Chatham, who somehow got around on the high offering at his chin for a leadoff home run out of McKethan Stadium.
The left-hander finished with six strikeouts in three-innings that summed up his first season on the mound. He’s been a dominant power pitcher at times and a talented left-hander with command issues during others.
“This year obviously I’ve been better coming out of the pen and I’ve struggled in my starts,” he said. “I’d like to become a starter sometime next year just to get the opportunity, but I just need to work on getting better command and throwing all my pitches for strikes.”
Follow Adam Pincus on Twitter @adamDpincus
A.J. Puk pitches during Florida’s 9-7 loss against Maryland on Feb. 15 at McKethan Stadium.
