No. 18 Alabama baseball split the first two games of the series with No. 23 Florida but lost the final game of the weekend to lose the series.
The Crimson Tide move to 40-15 overall and 16-14 in SEC play on the season.
Here is a recap of the weekend series.
Game One:
Alabama blew a 5-0 lead, dropping the opening game of the series 7-6. The Crimson Tide scored two in the first inning and three in the third to jump out to a quick 5-0 lead, but Florida scored seven of the final eight runs of the game to complete the comeback victory.
Richie Bonomolo, Jr. hit a two-run home run in the first to start the scoring for the Crimson Tide. Bonomolo finished 1-for-3 with his home run being his only hit. Justin Lebron added to the scoring in the third with a two-run home run of his own in the third inning. Lebron’s home run was his lone hit of the evening.
Tyler Fay pitched well enough to get the win but fell victim to some defensive mishaps. Fay pitched 4.2 innings, giving up just four hits and allowing four runs, only one of which was earned. JT Blackwood suffered the loss, giving up a two-run home run in the seventh that put the Gators on top.
Game Two:
The Crimson Tide bounced back to even the series, riding a solid starting pitching performance to a 9-6 victory.
Riley Quick struggled early, allowing a run in both the first and second innings, but eventually settled down, shutting out the Gators for the rest of the evening. Quick finished his start with seven strikeouts, allowing six hits and two runs over his five innings of work. Alabama closer Carson Ozmer made things interesting by allowing four runs on four hits in the final two innings.
The Alabama offense only recorded six hits but took advantage of walks and errors to plate their nine runs. Brady Neal sparked a five-run fifth inning with a base-clearing double. Richie Bonomolo, Jr. drove in two runs for the Crimson Tide without recording a hit.
Game Three:
Alabama was unable to generate enough offense on Saturday and dropped the final game to the Gators 9-3. Florida jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning and never looked back. Alabama cut the lead in half in the top of the fifth to bring the score to 4-2, but Florida responded with five runs in their half of the fifth inning to blow the game wide open.
Bryce Fowler was the only Alabama player to record more than one hit on the afternoon, finishing 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI. Justin Lebron also finished with a double and an RBI for the Crimson Tide offense.
Zane Adams suffered the defeat on the afternoon, tossing just 3.1 innings while giving up four runs on six hits before exiting the game.
Next up for Alabama is the SEC Tournament in Hoover, which begins on Tuesday.
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