Kirby McMullen stepped up to the plate immediately after a long pause due to the second reviewed play of the game. The crowd yearned for more as the hope of a rally traveled through the Florida Ballpark crowd.
McMullen delivered in the best way he knew how. The tell-tale crack of the bat was drowned out by the crowd’s thunderous applause and yells as the ball sailed over the fence and into the Dolphins’ bullpen in left-center field.
Sunday’s finale against Jacksonville comprised of three official reviews, two home runs and one ejection. The Gators took both the win and the series with a 5-2 victory over the Dolphins.
The Gators came out with a bang in the first inning. Jacob Young opened up the game with a double that bounced off the wall in left-center. Two consecutive Nathan Hickey and Kirby McMullen singles sent the first two runs of the game across the plate.
That’s all the Gators managed to score until the fifth inning, though.
Florida picked up another two runs in the fifth, the first of which instigated a long-winded official review. Mac Guscette was called safe on a play at the plate off a sacrifice fly to right. Officials reviewed and confirmed the play, which was too close to call with the human eye alone.
McMullen’s homer drove in the second run of the inning, which put the Gators back up by two. The solo shot marked the third baseman’s fourth home run in the last five games. McMullen went 2-4 on the game with two RBIs.
“It’s a great story because he kind of waited his turn, he’s been a great teammate and obviously his hard work is paying off now,” head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said.
On the mound, left-hander Hunter Barco found himself in some minor trouble.
The starter gave up six hits and two runs over 6.1 innings of work. The third inning proved the worst for Barco. He gave up three hits, threw one wild pitch and hit one batter to give the Dolphins their first and only two runs of the game.
Franco Aleman completed the game. He gave up just one hit and no runs over 2.2 innings to earn the save.
The seventh inning brought along the first ejection in Florida Ballpark history. Jacksonville right-hander Mason Adams made his forced exit after he threw a pitch off Colby Halter’s helmet. Halter shoved Jackson Grabsky after Grabsky seemingly yelled at Barco after a play at first base in the sixth.
“It was more competitive than anything,” Young said. “It’s really just all part of the game”
The bats remained silent until Jordan Butler sent the second ball of the game out of the park and into the Dizney Grove for a solo shot, which earned the Gators’ fifth and final run of the game.
While the bats weren’t as electric, Sunday’s showdown garnered enough drama for the entire weekend. The Gators’ series victory improved them to 13-4 as they head into SEC Opening Weekend next week.
Contact Sara Kate Dyson at skatedyson@alligator.org or follow her on Twitter at @sarakatedyson
