No. 4 Florida Gators baseball (44-15) took it to the Oregon State Beavers (32-23) early, scoring seven runs in the third innings to propel them to a 10-2 victory in the winner’s bracket semifinal of the 2010 NCAA Gainesville Regional on Saturday night at McKethan Stadium.

Sophomore starter Alex Panteliodis (10-2) tossed a career-high eight strikeouts in five innings and was relieved by sophomore Greg Larson, junior Matt Campbell and senior Chas Spottswood – all of whom shutout the Oregon State. Panteliodis’ 10th win makes him the first Florida pitcher since Alan Horne (2005) to achieve 10 victories in a season.

Offensively, the Gators were propelled by home runs from senior outfielder Matt den Dekker (2-4), junior second baseman Josh Adams (2-5) and freshman shortstop Nolan Fontana (1-3). Freshman third baseman Austin Maddox’s 3-5 day included two RBI and a run scored, and freshman designated hitter Brian Johnson (2-3) also had a nice performance from the batter’s box.

With the win, Florida advances to the final game of the Gainesville Regional, set to be played on Sunday at 7 p.m. against the victor of Oregon State vs. Florida Atlantic (36-23) match-up earlier in the afternoon. The winner will have to defeat the Gators twice in order to knock them out of the 2010 NCAA College World Series.

No. 4 Florida Gators softball (52-9) was handed a different fate Saturday evening, falling 3-2 in a close back-and-forth game to the No. 6 Georgia Bulldogs (50-12) in the 2010 NCAA Women’s College World Series at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, OK. With the loss, the Gators were eliminated from the tournament and officially end their 2010 season.

Junior pitcher Stephanie Brombacher (35-8), just hours after tossing a complete game shutout against No. 9 Missouri, started her second game of the day, once again going the distance. Tallying three earned runs (two in the first inning), Brombacher did her best to keep Georgia at bay but was unable to register a single strikeout.

Down much of the game, Florida rattled off runs in the fourth and fifth inning to tie it up 2-2. Freshman designated player Brittany Schutte (2-3) launched her third home run of the day and 19th of the season in the fourth, putting her alone at second-place in UF’s single-season record books. Pinch runner Lauren Heil scored on a wild pitch in the fifth, the Gators’ only other run of the game.

“We didn’t play our best; we played our hardest. I thought we went out and fought pretty heavily to the end,” head coach Tim Walton said after being eliminated. “It’s just one of those things, like we talked about two days ago, how hard it is to come back from the losers’ bracket. Anytime you’re eliminated it really hurts.”

Florida’s season ends with them sitting the school’s and Southeastern Conference’s single-season records in home runs (109) as well as six other program records in batting average (.331), slugging percentage (.627), on-base percentage (.432), runs (432), RBI (402) and total bases (936).

It was also the final game in the college careers of seniors outfielder Francesca Enea and third baseman Corrie Brooks, who each appeared in the WCWS three times, played in four Super Regionals and won more games than any players in team history.

Photo Credit: University of Florida

Tags: Alan Horne, Alex Panteliodis, ASA Hall of Fame Stadium, Austin Maddox, baseball, Brian Johnson, Brittany Schutte, Chas Spottswood, College World Series, Corrie Brooks, Francesca Enea, Gainesville Regional, Greg Larson, Josh Adams, Lauren Heil, Matt Campbell, Matt den Dekker, McKethan Stadium, NCAA, Nolan Fontana, Oregon State Beavers, softball, Stephanie Brombacher, Tim Walton, Women's College World Series

No. 4 Florida Gators baseball (43-15) looked like their normal selves Friday evening, taking down the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats (35-21) 7-3 at McKethan Stadium in the 2010 NCAA Gainesville Regional. Freshman starter Hudson Randall (8-3) tossed a stellar 7.1 innings for the win, striking out a career-high 10 batters and not allowing a hit until the fifth inning. It marked his sixth-straight victory.

Florida’s offense provided Randall with plenty of support from the get-go, scoring four runs in the second inning and three more in the sixth. Senior outfielder Matt den Dekker and freshman shortstop Nolan Fontana each went 2-4 from the plate with two RBI and a walk apiece. Freshman catcher Mike Zunino (1-3) added the other RBI.

The Gators will continue Gainesville Regional action Saturday at 7 p.m. in a winner’s bracket game against Oregon State (32-22), which beat Florida Atlantic (35-23) 6-4 on Friday afternoon. The game will air live on Sun Sports and ESPN3.com.

Tags: baseball, Bethune-Cookman Wildcats, Gainesville Regional, Matt den Dekker, McKethan Stadium, Mike Zunino, NCAA, Nolan Fontana

No. 3 Florida Gators baseball (42-15) has been announced by the NCAA as the host of one of 16 regionals for the 2010 NCAA Tournament. Four teams, including the Gators, will compete in the Gainesville Regional at McKethan Stadium beginning on June 4.

On Monday, the NCAA set the entire 64-team field, placing Florida Atlantic (35-22), Oregon State (31-22) and Bethune-Cookman (35-20) in the Gainesville Regional. Florida will take on the Wildcats in the second game of the event on Friday, June 4 at 7 p.m. The first game will feature the Owls and Beavers going head-to-head at 1 p.m.

The winner of the Gainesville Regional will face the victor from the Coral Gables Regional (featuring host Miami) in Super Regional action starting Friday, June 11. Should Florida win, Gainesville, FL, would likely be the host site of the next round.

Outfielder picked for SEC All-Tournament Team

Gators senior outfielder Matt den Dekker was named to the 2010 Southeastern Conference All-Tournament Team on Sunday. den Dekker was only 4-15 (.267) during the event but led Florida with four RBI and tied for the lead with three runs scored.

Tournament-winner LSU (five), Alabama (three), Ole Miss (one) and Vanderbilt (one) filled out the rest of the 2010 team.

Tags: All-Tournament, baseball, Gainesville Regional, Matt den Dekker, McKethan Stadium, NCAA, NCAA Tournament, SEC

No. 4 Florida Gators softball (48-8) won its second straight game against the No. 13 Arizona State Sun Devils (44-17), defeating them 5-2 on Sunday in the second game of the Gainesville Super Regional to advance to the 2010 NCAA Women’s College World Series. Florida’s berth to the event is their third in as many years.

The Gators outscored the Sun Devils 13-2 over the weekend at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium, with junior starter Stephanie Brombacher (34-6) earning both victories in back-to-back complete game efforts. She did not allow a single run over the first 12 innings before letting ASU score one in both the sixth and seventh on Sunday.

Like Saturday, junior outfielder Kelsey Bruder (2-2) led the way for Florida offensively with three RBI off of two home runs. Fellow junior first baseman Megan Bush (1-3) added a solo shot of her own, giving the Gators a 4-0 lead going into the last six outs.

Florida will begin the WCWS by facing No. 5 UCLA in Oklahoma City, OK, on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. The game will air live on ESPN and ESPN3.com.

Baseball selected to host a regional

No. 4 Florida baseball (42-15) has been announced by the NCAA as the host of one of 16 regionals for the 2010 NCAA Tournament. Four teams, including the Gators, will compete in the Gainesville Regional at McKethan Stadium beginning on June 4.

The NCAA will announce the entire 64-team field (including Florida’s three initial opponents) live on ESPN on Monday at 12:30 p.m. This will be the third time in the last six years that a regional has been hosted in Gainesville, FL.

Photo Credit: University of Florida

Tags: Arizona State Sun Devils, baseball, Gainesville Regional, Kelsey Bruder, McKethan Stadium, Megan Bush, NCAA, Pressly Stadium, softball, Stephanie Brombacher, Super Regional, Women's College World Series

No. 4 Florida Gators softball (46-8) has advanced to its fourth straight 2010 NCAA Super Regional appearance with three straight victories over the weekend as the home team in the Gainesville Regional. After defeating Bethune-Cookman (32-23) 6-0 on Friday, Florida shutout the Central Florida Knights (36-15) 6-0 on Saturday and topped the Florida International Panthers (38-21) 13-3 in the clincher on Sunday at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.

Junior Stephanie Brombacher (32-6) notched her second and third wins of the tournament on Saturday and Sunday, pitching complete games in all three weekend contests. She helped the Gators finish 10-1 against in-state rivals on the season.

Saturday, junior outfielder Kelsey Bruder (2-4) led the way with three RBI and a home run – her second in as many games, 13th of the season and 98th for the team this year. Sophomore OF Michelle Moultrie (3-4, two runs) and junior second baseman Aja Paculba (2-3, two RBI, one run) provided solid offensive contributions.

A different set of Florida players led the way Sunday with freshman OF Brittany Schutte (1-2) hitting her first career grand slam while totaling five RBI, two runs and two walks. Junior first baseman Megan Bush (3-4) smacked three RBI and came home for two runs, while Bruder (2-3) added another nice performance with three runs scored.

The Gators will face the winner of the No. 13 Arizona State-Long Island game in Super Regional action (likely to be held in Gainesville, FL) May 28-30. The NCAA has announced that all games will be aired live by ESPN.

Tags: Aja Paculba, Brittany Schutte, Central Florida Knights, Florida International Panthers, Gainesville Regional, Kelsey Bruder, Megan Bush, Michelle Moultrie, NCAA, Pressly Stadium, softball, Super Regional

1 » Though they had to suffer through a two-hour rain delay, Gainesville Regional hosts No. 4 Florida Gators softball (44-8) defeated the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats (32-23) 6-0 in the first game of the 2010 NCAA Tournament on Friday night at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. Junior starter Stephanie Brombacher (30-6) rang up 11 opposing hitters over seven innings to earn her 30th win in a complete game effort. In support, junior catcher Tiffany DeFelice (1-3) tallied three RBI and junior outfielder Kelsey Bruder (2-3) nailed her 12th home run of the season (and the team’s 97th) in the second inning. The Gators will face Central Florida (which defeated Florida International 7-1 on Friday) in the first game of the day on Saturday.

2 » On the opposite end of the spectrum is No. 6 Florida men’s tennis (21-5), which ended their season Friday with a 4-2 upset loss to the No. 12 Georgia Bulldogs (20-8) in the NCAA Tournament Round of 16 at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, GA. The No. 8 doubles pair of redshirt senior Antoine Benneteau and junior Alexandre Lacroix, which led the Gators all season, fell 8-3; each player also lost their singles matches. In fact, none of Florida’s ranked players or pairs were victorious Friday. Benneteau and Lacroix will continue competing in NCAA individual tournaments where they will participate without being tied to a team result.

Tags: Alexandre Lacroix, Antoine Benneteau, Bethune-Cookman Wildcats, Gainesville Regional, Georgia Bulldogs, Kelsey Bruder, Magill Tennis Complex, NCAA, NCAA Tournament, Pressly Stadium, Round of 16, softball, Stephanie Brombacher, tennis, Tiffany DeFelice

1 » With two games in hand, No. 4/5 Florida Gators baseball (37-12, 20-7 SEC) swept their series against the Georgia Bulldogs with a 9-3 win Sunday afternoon at McKethan Stadium in Gainesville, FL. Freshman starting pitcher Brian Johnson (5-2) tossed 5.2 strong innings, striking out three while only giving up one earned run. Sophomore first baseman Preston Tucker (1-3) and junior designated hitter Bryson Smith (2-3) each tallied two RBI, while freshman shortstop Nolan Fontana (2-4) and junior second baseman Josh Adams (1-3) both crossed home plate twice. Florida has now won eight consecutive contests over Georgia; the three-day total attendance of 14,619 set an all-time weekend series Gators record. UF will face North Florida on Tuesday before traveling to Columbia, SC, for a season-defining three-game series against the No. 8/12 South Carolina Gamecocks (41-11, 20-7 SEC). The Gators and Gamecocks are tied atop the Southeastern Conference regular season standings.

Three more BITS on women’s and men’s tennis advancing in the 2010 NCAA Tournament and softball’s honors and hosting duties…after the jump!
Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Baseball sweeps Georgia, tennis advances to Round of 16, softball hosts regional

Tags: Alexandre Lacroix, All-Tournament, Allie Will, Antoine Benneteau, Auburn Tigers, baseball, Brian Johnson, Bryson Smith, Corrie Brooks, Gainesville Regional, Georgia Bulldogs, Josh Adams, Lauren Embree, Linder Stadium, Marrit Boonstra, McKethan Stadium, Megan Bush, NCAA, NCAA Tournament, Nolan Fontana, Pressly Stadium, Preston Tucker, Ring Tennis Complex, SEC, softball, South Carolina Gamecocks, tennis, University of Florida