Florida Baseball: Gators back on track after sweep of Missouri

Coming off a disappointing sweep from South Carolina, Florida baseball needed a solid bounce-back week to keep its place among the nation’s elite and stay in line as a potential Super Regional host site.

Ultimately, the fourth-ranked Florida Gators emerged victorious in their three-game series against the Missouri Tigers with a convincing sweep to keep the momentum rolling.

Florida Baseball: Good teams win, and great teams sweep

The Gators opened the series by demonstrating their power with an 11-1 victory over the Tigers in just seven innings. Brandon Sproat delivered a standout performance, completing the game with only two hits allowed, one run, one walk, and seven strikeouts. Offensively, the Gators belted four home runs, with Tyler Shelnut (2-for-4), Jac Caglianone (1-for-3), BT Riopelle (2-for-3), and Michael Robertson (1-for-3) all contributing.

The home run for Robertson was the first of his college career.

The Gators scored six runs in the second inning with a three-run shot from Shelnut and another three-run homer from Caglianone. Robertson and Riopelle also added solo home runs in the fourth and fifth innings, respectively. Missouri’s only run came from Ross Lovich, who doubled and then scored on a sac fly from Luke Mann.

Sproat (6-2) earned the victory, while Missouri starter Chandler Murphy (3-4) took the loss.

In the second game, Florida battled back from a four-run deficit to secure an 11-7 win against Missouri. Wyatt Langford (3-for-5) and Tyler Shelnut (3-for-4) combined for six RBIs and two runs scored. Florida’s comeback was initiated with a four-run inning in the third, highlighted by an RBI single from Langford, a sac fly from Caglianone, and an RBI single from Josh Rivera.

Florida took the lead in the sixth inning with a three-run outburst, powered by a two-run double by Shelnut and an RBI single from Langford. Brandon Neely closed the game with 2 1/3 shutout innings to secure his eighth save.

Gator’s starter Hurston Waldrep earned a no-decision, while Ryan Slater picked up the win in relief.

In the series’ final game, Florida baseball completed the sweep with an 8-7 victory. The Gators seized control and jumped out to a 4-1 lead when Jac Caglianone hit his 25th homerun of the season.

Colby Halter made it 8-3 in the seventh inning, and it looked like Florida was well on its way to victory.

Missouri pulled it back to 8-7 back got no closer

The sweep improves Florida’s record to 35-10 overall and 14-7 in conference play. The Gators are currently third in the SEC East, behind Vanderbilt and South Carolina. Next up is the final game against Florida State, followed by a road trip to Texas A&M.