Florida Gators Drop Series Opener to No. 4 Kentucky Wildcats

The Florida Gators lost a heartbreaker on Friday to the No. 4 Kentucky Wildcats despite Jac Caglianone's milestone.

Florida utility Jac Caglianone (14) has some words with Kentucky players in the bottom of the third, / Cyndi Chambers Sports / USA TODAY

BOX SCORE: Kentucky Wildcats 12, Florida Gators 11

The Florida Gators baseball team was still clinging to the hope of an NCAA Tournament invite, but those slim chances took another hit in a heartbreaking 12-11 loss to the No. 4 Kentucky Wildcats on Friday.

The Gators dropped the game 12-11 in 10 innings after carrying several late leads including 6-3 into the eighth inning and 8-6 into the ninth inning.

The loss dropped the Gators to 25-24 overall and more problematic, 10-15 in SEC Conference play. The Wildcats moved to an impressive 19-6 in conference and 15-4 on the road.

Kentucky struck first with a Nick Lopez RBI double in the first, but the Gators answered right away, evening the score at 1-1 in the bottom of the frame on a Ty Evans RBI.

Florida pushed the lead to 5-1 after Colby Shelton hit a three-run home run in the third inning and Brody Donay followed with a solo shot in the fourth.

Kentucky clawed two back in the top of the fifth, but Jac Caglianone pushed the lead back to 6-3 in the bottom of the seventh, scoring on a wild pitch.

Brandon Neely got into trouble in the eighth inning when the Wildcats' Ryan Nicholson homered as part of his 5-RBI day. Eli Small hit a pinch-hit RBI double to level the game at 6-6.

However, the Gators answered right away in the bottom of the eighth with a Tyler Shelnut RBI double and a Dale Thomas sacrifice fly to push the lead back to 8-6 heading to the ninth.

Luke McNeillie couldn't get out of the ninth. He was charged with three runs before being lifted for Cade Fisher. The big blow was Nicholson's second home run, a three-run blast that gave Kentucky a 9-8 lead, its first since the top of the first inning.

The Gators still weren't done. They tied it in the bottom of the ninth with an RBI single from Thomas.

Heading to extra innings, Lopez cleared the bases for Kentucky with a double that plated three Wildcats and established a 12-9 lead.

Florida still wasn't done with the fireworks. Caglianone and Shelton each hit solo home runs, but the Gators fell short 12-11 in ten. Caglianone's home run off his shoe tops was his 200th career hit.

Hit No. 2️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ for Cags is a big fly!#GoGators // 📺 SECN+ pic.twitter.com/jmJPnY9ebL

— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) May 10, 2024