UF baseball evens series against Kentucky in convincing fashion, 10-1

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) -Florida leveled the series against No. 4 Kentucky with a dominate10-1 victory in game two at Condron Family Ballpark on Saturday afternoon. Florida had an impressive performance fueled by an offensive display of 12 hits.

The Gators offensive onslaught was led by Cade Kurland and Luke Heyman, who each contributed two hits, two runs, and three RBIs. Heyman’s performance included two home runs, while Kurland added one of his own. Dale Thomas also continued his strong weekend with a double, an RBI, a run, and a walk.

On the mound, starter Liam Peterson delivered an outstanding performance, pitching six innings of one-run ball to secure both the win and his first-ever quality career start.

The game began with a scoreless first inning for both teams, with Peterson showcasing his pitching prowess by stranding a two-out double and tallying two strikeouts.

In the bottom of the second, Florida opened up the game. Hayden Yost hit a RBI double, bringing Brody Donay home. Florida took an early 1-0 lead.

Peterson continued his dominance in the third inning, inducing a crucial double play and adding another strikeout to keep Kentucky off the scoreboard. Florida then extended its lead in the bottom half of the inning, with Kurland’s homer and Colby Shelton’s RBI single pushing the score to 3-0.

The Gators added another run in the fourth inning courtesy of Thomas’s RBI double, but Kentucky responded with a run of their own in the fifth. Florida quickly answered in the bottom half of the inning, with Heyman’s two-run homer extending their lead to 6-1.

Peterson’s solid outing ended after six innings, with Ryan Slater taking over in the seventh and maintaining Florida’s lead. The Gators added three more runs in the bottom of the seventh, highlighted by Kurland’s two-run double and Ashton Wilson’s RBI single.

Slater continued Florida’s strong pitching performance, throwing a scoreless eighth inning, before Heyman’s second home run of the day in the bottom half of the inning widened the gap to 10-1.

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