Florida baseball rallies late to beat Alabama Crimson Tide in series opener

Florida baseball defended its home turf on Thursday night against the Alabama Crimson Tide, pulling off a 7-6 victory in the opener of the final three-game series of the regular season.

The Gators were down early, coughing up a five-run deficit before they could get onto the scoreboard. However, the Orange and Blue scored in four straight frames from the fourth through the seventh, overcoming that 5-0 deficit to take Game 1.

Liam Peterson was the starter in this one and it was not a pretty outing for the sophomore out of Palm Harbor, Florida. He surrendered five runs in five innings on five hits, two walks and a hit-by-pitch while striking out four. Fortunately, the tandem of Luke McNellie and Jake Clement was able to keep the Tide scoreless through the final four frames — two apiece — with the former earning the win and the latter getting the save.

Bobby Boser went 2-for-4 and Ty Evans went 2-for-3, with both scoring one run and one knocking in an RBI, while the latter slugged a clutch double. Brody Donay also went 2-for-4 and crushed a game-winning, two-run homer in the seventh to finish with a team-high three RBI.

Next up for Florida baseball

The Gators will take on the Crimson Tide once again at the same time (6:30 p.m. ET) and same place (Condron Family Ballpark) on Friday, May 16. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network+ and can be heard on WRUF.

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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida Baseball: Recapping Gators win over Alabama Crimson Tide