Just three minutes before Thursday’s 7 p.m. scheduled start time, the tarps were quickly rushed onto the field and rolled over the infield diamond. Fans patiently waited two hours as the weather only worsened.
The rain got heavier, wind speeds increased, and eventually the game was called off around 9 p.m.
To make up for it, Florida and No. 3 Tennessee played a doubleheader Friday. The Gators (24-22, 10-13 SEC) split the two-game slate against the Volunteers (38-9, 16-7 SEC).
Florida lost the first game, 6-2, and narrowly defeated Tennessee, 4-2, to wrap up the evening.
For the first time this season, the Gators won a conference game without trailing in the contest.
In Florida’s 4-2 victory, it took a lead during the third inning due to a pair of home runs from shortstop Colby Shelton and catcher Brody Donay. The Gators led 3-0, and held on with fantastic pitching performances from right-handers Liam Peterson and Fisher Jameson.
Peterson finished an outing without surrendering a run for the first time since Feb. 24. The freshman right-hander struck out seven batters in four scoreless innings, setting up Jameson to lead the rest of the way.
Jameson pitched four innings and gave up just two runs. He cruised until the top of the ninth inning, when he surrendered a leadoff single to shortstop Dean Curley. It set up freshman closer Luke McNeillie to wrap up the contest.
With a runner on second and two outs, McNeillie forced an infield popup to conclude the contest.
However, Florida will play a rubber match Saturday because of its 6-2 loss against the Volunteers in the first game of the doubleheader.
The Gators struck out 11 times, and the top-four hitters in the order tallied just two hits the entire game. Shockingly, most of UF’s production came from the bottom of its order in Donay.
The Virginia Tech sophomore transfer totaled four hits, two home runs and three RBI in both games Friday.
However, Florida’s pitching struggled in the first game.
Gators starter Brandon Neely allowed four runs to cross the plate in four innings pitched. Other than 2.1 scoreless innings from reliever Jake Clemente, it was a forgettable game for Florida’s pitchers.
For the first time since March 31, Florida will compete for a series victory in the final game of a weekend series. The Gators have lost the first two games of each weekend series since they were swept by Missouri April 7.
Florida will return to action against the Volunteers at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Condron Family Ballpark. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network+.
Contact Luke Adragna at ladragna@alligator.org. Follow him on X @lukeadrag.
Luke Adragna is a third-year journalism student and the Florida Gators football reporter at The Alligator. He is a cat ethusiast and completes the NYT Daily Mini in less than a minute each day.
