Game #39: No. 21 Florida 9, No. 7 Texas A&M 2
Records: Texas A&M (31-8, 12-6), Florida (29-14, 11-8)
WP: Aidan King (7-2)
LP: Shane Sdao (3-0)
Box Score
Loud contact. Thirteen total hits, six for extra bases.
That’s somewhat expected, right? Well...
Shockingly, that describes the offensive night for the light-hitting Gators as No. 7 Texas A&M suffered a 9-2 series-opening loss at No. 21 Florida on Friday night at Condron Family Ballpark in Gainesville.
The defeat breaks a seven-game conference winning streak for the Aggies as they’ll look to bounce back on Saturday.
However, that won’t be easy vs. Florida’s pitching staff, a task that was too difficult on Friday for A&M’s typically dominant offense.
Gator right-hander Aidan King was advertised and benefited from plenty of good fortune and plenty more flyouts against the red-hot Aggies.
Too often across King’s eight innings did loud contact fly directly at a Gator defender. Fortunately for Gavin Grahovac, defenders aren’t allowed on the left-field berm, but unfortunately for the Aggies, that two-run home run in the third accounted for all of A&M’s offense.
Grahovac’s blast stretched his hitting streak to 14 games, but that’s where the good vibes end for the Maroon & White.
While fanning six on a season-high 121 pitches, King was economical with his pitch count as he did not need more than 20 in a single frame while scattering four hits. The Florida ace walked none and departed with a three-run lead as his season ERA actually increased to 1.78.
Conversely, instead of building upon a successful outing in Baton Rouge, Shane Sdao allowed three runs on eight hits while failing to complete the fourth.
Florida scored once in the first as a two-out rally cracked the scoreboard. The Gators then tagged Sdao for a trio of doubles — all with two strikes — to take the lead for good in the bottom of the third.
Leading the offensive charge for the home nine was Caden McDonald, who went 3-for-4 with two RBI despite beginning the day 2-for-8 on the year. He doubled in the third, homered off Grant Cunningham in the sixth and added an RBI single after the stretch.
To make matters worse, the bottom half of Florida’s offense caused headaches in A&M’s third-base dugout. The Gator 6-8 hitters had six hits while the Aggies went nearly six innings without one.
Florida pulled away late by plating four vs. little-used relievers Luke Billings and Cooper Powell in the eighth.
Following a frustrating night offensively, Michael Earley’s Aggies will again be tasked with bouncing back, something they’ve done frequently this year.
After their previous seven losses, A&M is 6-1 with its only two-game slide coming against Georgia over a month ago.
That trend will be put to the test vs. MLB.com’s No. 6 draft-eligible prospect in right-hander Liam Peterson, as good pitching currently holds the advantage over good hitting this weekend.
Another elite Gator arm squares off with A&M’s best in Aiden Sims when the series continues on Saturday at 4 p.m. CT.
