Florida falls to Texas A&M, will face Arkansas in elimination game
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Powered by four home runs, Texas A&M run-ruled Florida 10-0 in seven innings in the second round of the SEC Tournament. The loss moved Florida to an elimination game against Arkansas set for Friday morning in Hoover.
The Gators were out-hit 12-1 in the game, and Florida batters struck out 11 times. It was just Florida’s third loss in its past 13 games.
Aggies' starter Micah Dallas looked strong with a nine-pitch first inning that included three strikeouts. He allowed a two-out single in the top of the second, but countered it with his fourth strikeout in two innings.
Texas A&M was able to strike first on a two-run homer from leadoff hitter Trevor Werner in the bottom of the third. Prior to that, Florida starter Brandon Neely had retired seven of the first eight Aggie hitters.
After Dallas earned his sixth and seventh strikeouts to end the top of the fifth, Neely could not follow suit in the bottom of the frame. Aggie nine-hole hitter Kole Kaler lined a leadoff double down the right field line and Werner drew a hit-by-pitch to put runners on first and second.
Texas A&M two-hole hitter Jack Moss dropped an RBI single into left field that gave the Aggies a 3-0 lead and ended Neely’s day.
Right hander Fisher Jameson came on in relief of Neely and surrendered a solo shot to A&M’s Ryan Targac that made it 4-0 in the bottom of the sixth. Jameson gave up a two-run shot of his own to the Aggies’ Jordan Thompson that brought on right-hander Tyler Nesbitt.
The Aggies kept the sixth-inning offense coming with a sac fly to left that made it a 7-0 ballgame. Austin Bost cranked a three-run shot to left field to make it a 10-0 Texas A&M lead that put the run rule in effect.
The Florida loss set up a rematch between the Razorbacks and Gators on Friday morning. Florida took two of three games over the Hogs when the teams met in Gainesville on April 7-9.
After Arkansas took the series opener against Florida, the Gators outscored the Hogs 16-9 over the next two games to secure the series. The two teams have met eight times in Hoover since 2000, and the Razorbacks went 5-3 in that stretch.
The last time the Hogs played Florida in Hoover was during the 2018 SEC Tournament. The Razorbacks won that game 8-2 behind a pair of homers from Casey Martin and Hunter Wilson — who had a pinch-hit grand slam in the ninth inning.
The projected starter for Florida is righty Nick Pogue, who started his eighth game of the season last Sunday against South Carolina. Pogue has a 4.91 ERA in 29.1 innings pitched this year.
Arkansas pitching coach Matt Hobbs said after Wednesday’s loss to Alabama that the Razorbacks will throw one of the three usual weekend starters — Connor Noland, Hagen Smith or Jaxon Wiggins.
Arkansas and Florida are scheduled to meet at the Hoover Met at 9:30 a.m. CT Friday morning. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.