Before their current weekend series against the Georgia Bulldogs, the Florida Gators made a change in their starting rotation. Aidan King moved into the Friday night role, and Liam Peterson moved back to Saturday.
Safe to say, this move paid off for head coach Kevin O’Sullivan.
King Leads Florida to a Win on Friday Night
The Florida Gators won the series opener at Foley Field in Athens on Friday by a score of 8-2.
King was superb on the mound as he tore through the Georgia lineup to begin the game. The Bulldogs could not record their first pair of runs until the eighth inning.
Georgia was hitless in the first six innings of King’s outing.
In 7 2/3 innings of work, King finished with six strikeouts and allowed just two hits.
O’Sullivan talked about King’s start in a postgame interview with InAllKindsOfWeather.com on Friday night.
“I want all three of my starters to pitch well,” said O’Sullivan. “Aidan [King] was outstanding on the road. He gave us length, and what more could you ask for?”
With that kind of Friday night start on the road in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), King is primed to hold down the Gators’ weekend rotation moving forward.
Despite a Loss, Peterson impressed on Saturday
The Georgia Bulldogs got the better of Florida on Saturday in a 5-1 win. Liam Peterson started for the Gators after being moved back into the second spot in the weekend rotation.
Despite allowing eight hits, Peterson allowed just one run over the course of his career-high seven innings. He also did not allow a walk and struck out four Georgia batters.
The game came apart for the Gators in the eighth inning when Cooper Walls entered the game for Peterson. The Bulldogs scored four runs, which led to the series-tying win for Georgia.
O’Sullivan commented that it was Peterson’s best start of the season, and he did everything he could to help Florida win.
Up next for Florida and Georgia
With the series tied up at one game apiece, the rubber match between Florida and Georgia will be on Sunday, April 12. The game is at Foley Field in Athens, and the first pitch is at noon ET.
The game can be watched on SEC Network.
WBN NCAA: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/
PHOTO: Florida pitcher Liam Peterson (12) warms up before an NCAA baseball game against Florida State on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/Gary McCullough)
