Sophomore Bryan Augenstein
(Sebastian, Fla.) threw his third complete game of
the season to help No. 19 Florida (20-15/4-7 SEC) even its series with No. 23
Kentucky (24-8/6-5 SEC) with a 6-4 victory on Saturday night at Cliff Hagan
Stadium. Augenstein (7-2) registered nine strikeouts,
scattered seven hits and held the Wildcats scoreless over the final six innings
to collect his second-straight win and end a three-game losing streak for UF.
Junior Brian Jeroloman (Wellington, Fla.) was
2-for-5 with a career-high two home runs and equaled his career best of four RBI
for the Gators, while junior Sean Coughlin went 4-for-4 and drove in four runs
for UK.
Sophomore right-hander Greg Dombrowski (5-1, 1.65
ERA) will start tomorrow’s finale at 1 p.m. for the Wildcats against a Florida pitcher to be
determined.
Back-to-back
solo homers in the first by Jeroloman and Matt LaPorta (Port Charlotte,
Fla.) off senior Craig Snipp gave the Gators a quick lead. Jeroloman
connected on his fourth round-tripper over the right-field wall and LaPorta launched his sixth homer over the 340-foot sign in
left field. It was the first time this season that the Gators belted
consecutive home runs.
UF plated
four more runs in the second, highlighted by a three-run bomb from Jeroloman, to take a 6-0 lead. Junior Chris Petrie (Jacksonville, Fla.) singled up the middle with one down and junior Gavin Dickey (Tallahassee, Fla.)
reached on an error before Snipp fanned sophomore Matt Gaski (Greensboro, N.C.).
An RBI single by junior Adam Davis (Fort Myers, Fla.)
scored Petrie and Jeroloman followed with his second homer
of the contest to right to clear the bases. It was the third three-run blast of
the campaign for Jeroloman and the first time in his
career with a multiple-homer outing.
Kentucky answered in the bottom of the
second on Coughlin’s two-run homer to get on the board. Junior Ryan Strieby led off with a single up the middle and Coughlin
cranked his seventh big fly of the season to right off Augenstein
for a 6-2 count.
In the
third, sophomore Collin Cowgill stroked a one-out
single to left and junior Billy Grace walked before Augenstein
had Strieby ground out. Coughlin lofted a ball to
left field that was misplayed for a two-run double, trimming the Gators’ lead
to 6-4.
The
Wildcats threatened in the fifth by loading the bases with one down but came
away empty-handed. Grace reached on a throwing error, Strieby
earned a free pass and Coughlin punched a single to right to fill the sacks. Augenstein worked out of the jam by inducing an
inning-ending 6-4-3 double play by junior John Shelby.
LaPorta
was called out on strikes in the seventh, leading to the ejection of McMahon.
The move fired up the Gators, as Augenstein set down
the Wildcats in order in the home portion of the inning on six pitches. Florida squandered a
golden opportunity by failing to score with the bases full and none out in the
eighth. Junior David Cash (Odessa, Fla.), sophomore Brandon
McArthur (Seffner, Fla.) and Petrie started the frame with consecutive base-hits to fill the bags. Snipp jammed Dickey on a foul pop-up and had Gaski ground into a 6-4-3 double play to keep the margin at
6-4.
Coughlin
led off UK’s
eighth with a single and senior Michael Bertram walked with one down before Augenstein fanned senior Shaun Lehmann
and sophomore Ryan Wilkes to increase his strikeout total to eight. The
right-hander put down the ‘Cats 1-2-3 in the ninth to seal the victory. Florida held a 10-8
advantage in hits, as Petrie (2-for-4, one run) joined Jeroloman
with multiple hits. Snipp (4-2) fired his second
complete-game for Kentucky,
giving up 10 hits and six runs (two earned) with seven strikeouts and one walk.
-UF-
