Gators’ pitching leads charge to take series against Vanderbilt Sunday
Hunter Barco and Jack Leftwich silenced Vanderbilt’s bats to earn the 5-3 win in the series finale May 2, 2021 | 8:48pm EDT Freshman Hunter Barco throws a pitch against Jacksonville on March 14. The southpaw struck out seven batters in 5.1 innings against Vanderbilt Sunday. Photo by Grethel Aguila | The Independent Florida Alligator
Jack Leftwich began his windup among a vibrating chorus of claps, shouts and whistles from the Florida Ballpark crowd. The ball flew out of his hand with vigor and barreled straight toward home plate.
Carter Young swung, but the ball already sat in the palm of Nathan Hickey’s glove.
The Front Nine comes at you after an interesting night watching the NFL Draft and getting ready for a big baseball weekend.
1. One thing that was interesting about that first round where Alabama dominated is that it feeds into the notion that things are never going to change as long as Nick Saban is the coach in Tuscaloosa. The whole evening was basically a commercial for Alabama football and, let’s face it, the No. 1 goal for most young men choosing a college is getting to the next level. It was also a big boost for Florida to have two pass-catchers in the first 20 picks, an example of what Dan Mullen, Tim Brewster and Billy Gonzales can do for a player who is willing to put the work in. Remember that both Kyle Pitts and Kadarius Toney were Jim McElwain recruits (Pitts signed with Mullen but committed to McElwain) and Toney was a three-star recruit. Here’s the thing – Saban has shown he’s really good at recruiting and developing talent. Mullen still has a way to go on recru
Gators split Sunday doubleheader to clinch first SEC road series win - The Independent Florida Alligator alligator.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from alligator.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The Florida Gators kept it rolling on the Plains on Sunday afternoon winning Game 1 of the doubleheader against Auburn. The two-game slate on Sunday was forced due to inclement weather on Saturday. In the 10-8 loss, defensive woes and a late-game hitting drought caused the Gators to come up short in Game 2 of the series. This loss ends Florida’s seven-game win streak. Pitchers Tommy Mace and Jack Leftwich combined for five innings pitched and allowed five runs apiece.
Power at the Plate
Auburn struck first in the bottom of the first with a two-run home run from first baseman Tyler Miller. Miller’s two-run bomb marked the first time Mace has allowed a run in the first inning all season. Both teams went quietly in the second putting two zeros on the board.
Ninth-inning Halter RBI triple lifts Gators to seventh-straight victory
Colby Halter hit a go-ahead RBI triple in the top of the ninth inning Friday in Auburn en route to a 4-2 Florida win April 24, 2021 | 2:33pm EDT No. 15 Florida took down Auburn 4-2 in the series opener Friday night and extended its win streak to a season-long seven games. Photo from UF-Jacksonville game March 14. Photo by Grethel Aguila | The Independent Florida Alligator
With one out and a runner on first in the top of the fourth, Florida third baseman Colby Halter stepped into the batter’s box with his heart set on breaking the 2-2 tie.