Game 2 suspended, rescheduled

GAINESVILLE – Heavy rains suspended the Florida Gators’ Game 2 matchup with Wake Forest during the Gainesville Super Regional, with the Gators trailing 5-4 in the bottom of the fifth inning.

UF won the opening game in the best-of-three series 2-1 in 11 innings Saturday after a weather delay suspended play nearly four hours.

NCAA Tournament officials suspended Sunday’s game after a weather delay of two hours, 35 minutes. The teams will resume play at 1:04 p.m. Monday.

Game 3, if necessary, will be played 55 minutes following the conclusion of the second contest.

Following a 22-minute weather delay to open Sunday’s game, the Gators fell behind 4-0 during the first inning as starting pitcher Jackson Kowar came out flat against Wake Forest’s hard-hitting lineup.

UF coach Kevin O’Sullivan turned to Kowar a day after the long weather delay forced O’Sullivan to use his top two starters — Alex Faedo and Brady Singer.

Kowar, a sophomore right-hander, yielded a single to Wake Forest left fielder Jonathan Pryor to open the game and walked centerfielder Stuart Fairchild two batters later. With two runners on base, Kowar served up a fastball to Wake clean-up hitter Gavin Sheets, who drilled his 21st home run of the season off the scoreboard in right centerfield.

Catcher Ben Breazeale then followed with a solo blast to right field — his second homer in two days — to push the lead to 4-0.

Kowar would allow two more hits and load the bases, but Logan Harvey, the Demon Deacons’ No. 9 hitter, would ground out to end the inning.

Kowar later settled down, and the Gators’ offense woke up.

UF entered the top of the third inning with one hit during the previous eight innings. But with one out, second baseman Deacon Liput smashed a two-run home run off a 1-0 pitch into bullpen in right field.

Kowar again found himself in a pickle during the bottom of the fourth inning. But with runners on second and third base, he struck out Sheets to end the threat.

UF (46-17) answered with a another big inning led by Liput.

Liput’s single to right field with the bases loaded score freshman left fielder Austin Langworthy, cut Wake Forest’s lead to 4-3 and forced the exit of Demon Deacons’ pitcher Connor Johnstone.

Junior right-hander Chris Farish, Johnstone’s replacement, struck out Game 1 hero Ryan Larson for the Gators’ first out of the inning. Shortstop Dalton Guthrie tied the game with a sacrifice RBI to rightcenter field, scoring Christian Hicks, who had doubled earlier in the inning.

Wake Forest (42-19) then regained the lead, 5-4, on a solo home run to right field by third baseman Johnny Aiello. Maronpot and Harvey followed a strikeout by shortstop Bruce Steel with consecutive singles, leading O’Sullivan to replace Kowar.

But amid the switch, the rains arrived, leading to the game’s suspension.

MATT STAMEY/AP The grounds crew works to get the tarp on the infield as heavy rain hits Sunday at UF’s McKethan Stadium.