Florida baseball takes first game of doubleheader against Air Force to claim series

USA Today

16-02-2025

Florida baseball takes first game of doubleheader against Air Force to claim series
The Florida Gators took the first game of a Saturday doubleheader against the Air Force Falcons, 10-4, clinching an opening series win and cementing a 2-0 start to the 2025 college baseball season.
The duo of Jake Clemente and Luke McNeillie struck out a combined 14 batters while walking none and allowing just three earned runs. It's the second quality start for the Gators in as many games after posting just five throughout all of 2024.
Kevin O'Sullivan shifted the lineup around, removing Kyle Jones from centerfield and the leadoff spot in favor of Hayden Yost, who put together a four-hit day including two doubles. Jones is still the starting centerfielder on the roster, but he pulled up lame and is getting a little rest to allow an apparent lower-body injury to mend. It doesn't seem serious, and Yost is a solid replacement at the plate and in the field.
Right fielder Ty Evans and catcher Luke Heyman also sat, giving opportunities to Ashton Wilson and Landon Stripling. Both replacements struck out multiple times, but Stripling notched his first two hits in Orange and Blue, including a solo home run to open up the scoring. Stripling batted sixth as the designated hitter, and Brody Donay caught in place of Heyman.
Donay finished the game with three hits and came up a triple shy of the cycle. Both Bobby Boser and Colby Shelton hit homers. Blake Cyr and Brendan Lawson both singled to round out Florida's 13-hit day.
Jake Clemente deals in first weekend start
Starter Jake Clemente went six innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on three hits and one hit batter. Clemente struck out a career-high eight batters and did not walk anyone. His fastball was sitting 95 mph early but lacked some command, often drifting up in the zone. His putaway pitch, the slider, had good action but also went back and forth in the command department at the start of the game.
Both pitches matured as the game carried on, drawing plenty of swing and miss. Clemente had some swagger in the final frames, somehow getting stronger against the Air Force lineup the third time through. He finished his outing with 10 straight outs, including a pair of punchouts in the sixth. Overall, it was a good debut in the starting rotation for Clemente, with a few things to iron out, but he's as good as advertised after a breakout summer.
Air Force takes a brief lead, Florida answers
An errant throw from Brody Donay, who started behind the plate in place of Luke Heyman, sparked the disaster in the third inning. Donay sailed it over Brendan Lawson's head at first, allowing Air Force to score its first run of the weekend (and season) and putting men on second and third. A sacrifice fly and fielder's choice scored both runners on base, but that's all the scoring the Falcons did in Game 1 of the doubleheader.
Florida's offense started off slow, scoring just two runs in the first three innings off starter Gaines Estridge. A combination of funky breaking stuff necessitated some approach changes from the lineup. Texas Tech transfer Landon Stripling hit his first home run in the Orange and Blue and Hayden Yost drove in Brody Donay for the early two-run lead. The Gators retook the lead in the fourth on Colby Shelton's first homer of the year, a two-run shot off reliever Cranz Smelcer, but not before Hayden Yost made his around the bases. Yost doubled, stole third and took home on a double steal executed perfectly with Ashton Wilson.
Donay homered in the fifth, scoring Stripling and increasing the Gator lead to three runs. A Shelton sac fly and Bobby Boser single brought in Lawson and Yost, respectively, to make it 9-3 at the end of five. Ethan Dillinger took over for Smelcer, allowing one of the earned runs.
McNeillie with the 3-inning save
Luke McNeillie took over for Clemente in the seventh. He was on the wrong side of some close ball-and-strike calls early, but bounced back with two swinging Ks to end the frame. Tripp Garrish got ahold of one for a solo shot off McNeillie in the eighth, but Bobby Boser's seventh-inning homer preserved the six-run margin.
McNeillie earned the save for going three innings in relief. He allowed just the one earned run on three hits and struck out six with zero walks. His fastball had some good run and stayed in the 92-93 mph range, and his breaking ball drew a few whiffs for strikeouts.
An elite day for the pitching staff, and the offense came alive in the middle innings. Florida and Air Force will play the series finale approximately one hour from the conclusion of this win — approximately 5 p.m. ET. Pierce Coppola will take the mound for the Gators.
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