Gators top Wildcats for SEC championship
GAINESVILLE — Holding onto a 3-2 lead with runners on first and second, Florida Gators right fielder Nelson Maldonado stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Maldonado, who drilled a three-run home run off Kentucky starter Justin Lewis an inning earlier, stared down the Wildcats’ Chris Machamer, who relieved Lewis near the start of the fifth.
Maldonado then ripped a line drive down the right field line for an RBI double. He pumped his fists in the air and let out a triumphant roar as teammate Ryan Larson dove in for the score.
In front of an announced crowd of 3,938, the No. 5 Gators (40-15, 21-9 Southeastern Conference) defeated No. 6 Kentucky 6-4 in the regular season finale on Saturday afternoon at McKethan Stadium.
The victory gave the Gators the series win over the Wildcats (38-18, 19-11 SEC) and helped UF clinch its fourth regularseason conference title in 10 years under head coach Kevin O’Sullivan.
“It’s all about the players,” O’Sullivan said. “We’ve had some obstacles along the way. We’ve had some bumps along the way. But we’re a pretty gritty group.”
After an explosive offensive outing in Florida’s 14-3 route of the Wildcats on Friday night, the Gators’ once-hot bats cooled.
Maldonado was a saving grace for a Gators team that struck out nine times and secured just seven hits. He went 2-for-3 at the plate, tied a season high with four RBI and was responsible for Florida’s first four runs. Austin Langworthy and Blake Reese, who replaced Dalton Guthrie at first base after Guthrie rolled his right ankle following a basehit in the fourth inning, both had an RBI.
“It was an emotional game for us,” said Maldonado, who upped his batting average to .331 to lead UF. “My approach today was just to be relaxed. The past couple days, I’ve been really tense.”
The Wildcats struck first to open the scoring.
In the first inning, starting pitcher Jackson Kowar gave up an RBI double to UK’s Luke Becker, and in the third inning, infielder Zach Reks delivered an RBI single to give the Wildcats a 2-0 lead.
Kowar finally found a groove in the fourth inning, escaping jams in back-to-back innings to preserve the Gators’ 3-2 lead.
Kowar tossed 6.1 innings before he was replaced in the seventh by senior Frank Rubio in the seventh, who struck out four and walked two.
“That’s about as good of a team as we’ll face all season,” said Kowar, who gave up eight hits and two runs to the powerful Kentucky lineup. “To know that we can beat them 2-out-of-3 is exciting… . I think we’re a really tough team, and it showed today.”
With right fielder Tristan Pompey — who went for a homer and four RBI in the series opener — going 0-for-4 from the plate, it was Marcus Carson who gave the Wildcats their best chance at a comeback.
Closer Michael Byrne, who replaced Nick Horvath in the eighth inning, gave up a two-run home run to Carson, cutting the Gators’ lead to 6-4. Byrne settled in, however, striking out consecutive hitters to retire the inning. A ground out by Riley Mahan in the ninth gave the Gators the win.
O’Sullivan, however, said he wasn’t sure if he was going to celebrate the championship win.
“I’m gonna kick back and relax today,” he said. “It’s been a long year.”