UA out of arms, on its way home
HOOVER, Ala. — No. 6 Florida dished out payback against No. 20 Arkansas and sent the Razorbacks home from the SEC Tournament on Friday with budding concerns about their starting pitching.
The Gators (42-16) struck early and rode 6-7 left-hander A.J. Puk’s three-hitter to a 10-0 seven-inning run-rule victory over the Razorbacks in the late elimination game at the Hoover Met.
“We had two bad days because we didn’t have enough pitching,” said Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn, whose team will travel home today after spending 12 days on the road.
Florida advanced to today’s second elimination game against No. 1 LSU and gained revenge against the Razorbacks, who scored a 7-6 victory at about 1:30 a.m.
Thursday with two ninth-inning home runs against the Gators.
Arkansas (35-22) lost backto-back games for the first time since dropping the final two games of a series against No. 1 LSU at Baum Stadium on March 20-21. Arkansas opened 2-0 in Hoover before falling 10-5 to LSU late Thursday.
“We’re a little bit worn down, we’re a little bit thin on pitching, so I just told the guys I’m just proud of them,” Van Horn said. “We’ve been on the road the last 12, 13 days and the last two days doesn’t really define us as a team.”
Florida had 11 hits and committed no errors, ensuring that the four SEC Tournament semifinalists were the top four teams from the regular season.
“That’s two nights in a row where we’ve swung the bats really well, and it’s two really good starts by Logan Shore and by A.J., and that’s what we need moving forward,” Florida Coach Kevin O’Sullivan said.
Puk, who was roughed up in a 9-3 loss to Arkansas last year, dominated the Razorbacks, including a stretch in which he struck out nine of 10 batters from the third into the sixth inning.
“Early it was a lot of fastballs and then I was able to go with some off-speed and mix up my pitches,” Puk said.
“A.J. Puk, that’s big-league stuff,” Van Horn said. “When you see a body like that, left-handed, throwing downhill, I don’t know how that kid gets to college. He’s 95-plus [mph] with a plus breaking ball and a really good changeup, and he had command.”
The Razorbacks managed three singles, from Tyler Spoon, Michael Bernal and Brett McAfee. Four runners reached second base, and none made it to third base.
“We’ve been on a hot streak lately and we just faced a really good pitcher tonight, so kudos to him,” Arkansas left fielder Joe Serrano said.
“I mean he’s a lefty about 6-7 who throws about 98, so that helps for sure,” Spoon said.
Florida’s leadoff batter reached base in each of the first three innings off righthander Dominic Taccolini (6-4), who allowed 5 runs, 4
earned, on 5 hits and 2 walks in his 2-plus innings.
The last three starting pitchers for Arkansas in Hoover — Keaton McKinney, James Teague and Taccolini — did not record an out in the third inning before being pulled.
“We got a great start from Trey [Killian] in game No. 1,” Van Horn said. “The next three days our starting pitching doesn’t go two, three innings. One was an injury, and the other ones just didn’t throw the ball real well and we’re going back to the bullpen again.
“You can’t do that. We kind of knew our fate.”
The Gators scored one run in the first inning when Dalton Guthrie singled and scored on Josh Tobias’ groundout, then took control with a five-run third inning that knocked out Taccolini.
Guthrie doubled to lead off the Florida third, then Buddy Reed outraced Taccolini to the bag on a chopper to first base, the first of two times Reed did it in the game.
Richie Martin had an RBI single, Peter Alonso drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, Cullen Gassaway booted Harrison Bader’s grounder to let in a run and Jeremy Vasquez had an RBI groundout to cap the inning.
Reed went 3 for 3 and reached base in all four plate appearances for Florida. Guthrie and catcher JJ Schwarz each had two hits, giving Schwarz five in two games against the Razorbacks.
Arkansas will learn its postseason destination Monday while the Gators are hoping to play their way into a regional host role along with LSU, Vanderbilt and Texas A&M.