For
a team with lofty expectations and a dominant weekend record,
Florida's play during mid-week games has been baffling.
The No. 5 Gators' poor mid-week pitching continued Wednesday,
falling to UCF 8-6 in front of a record crowd of 3,601 at Jay
Bergman Field in Orlando.
Florida (28-10) moved to 5-6 in mid-week contests, dropping four
straight.
The Knights swept the season series (2-0), feasting on Florida's
middling mid-week pitching including poor performances from juniors
Alex Panteliodis (2 innings and two runs) and Anthony DeSclafani (1
inning and three runs) and freshman Daniel Gibson (0.2 innings and
two runs).
The contest saw a combined 15 pitchers, but the array of Knights
relievers stifled UF's bats until a six-run explosion in the
eighth.
After just two hits-both singles-during the first seven innings,
the Gators stormed UCF with six hits and two homers in the
frame.
Preston Tucker continued his torrid stretch, knocking a grand slam
in a second straight game. Tyler Thompson also belted a homer,
blasting a two-run shot to left to put UF on the board.
"Offensively, we have to do a better job early in the game,"
assistant coach Craig Bell said. Bell said the team was too
tentative early and "took a bunch of pitches we should've
driven."
Although the Gators nearly erased an eight run deficit, Knights
manager Terry Rooney summoned closer Joe Rogers, who promptly shut
the door following an ill-placed curveball. After surrendering
Tucker's grand slam, Rogers was filthy, recording four strikeouts
in 1.2 innings to finish the game.
The loss concluded Florida's eight-game road trip, one that
included two Southeastern Conference series wins but also two
mid-week losses.
Although UF's weekend rotation has pitched consistently, its
mid-week throwers have continuously struggled. Coach Kevin
O'Sullivan has employed five different starters during the 11 games
but has yet to find a reliable option.
In Wednesday's loss, the Gators labored through long innings due to
an inability to get the third out. Seven of UCF's eight runs were
via two-out knocks.
"You've got to close out innings and close out batters," Bell said.
"We didn't do very good at that."
