The Georgia Bulldogs suffered a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to the Florida Gators in 16 innings Friday night on an errant throw from catcher Brandon Stephens after a strikeout that would have sent the game to the 17th inning. With two outs and a runner at third, Blake Dieterich struck out Nolan Fontana on a pitch in the dirt. Stephens attempted to tag Fontana but missed and his throw to first sailed high allowing Florida to score the winning run.
Georgia took a 1-0 lead in the third with an RBI double by Curt Powell. Florida answered back with single runs in the fourth and fifth innings to take a 2-1 lead. Georgia tied the game in the eighth with an RBI single by Conor Welton. The score would remain the same for the next seven innings until Florida scratched across the game-winner in the 16th.
The loss spoils a solid performance from Alex Wood who allowed two runs and eight hits in eight innings of work. Greg Larson gets credited for the win for Florida improving to 5-0 after pitching three innings of scoreless baseball. Jay Swinford gets tagged with the loss for Georgia.
The series continues on Saturday with the first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m.