Before he was Tuesday night’s hero — the first walk-off home run hero in Florida Ballpark history, and a savior for his Gators when they desperately needed one — Kendrick Calilao was just one of many potential goats.
In the seventh inning, with runners on the corners and two outs, Calilao, a third-year sophomore with a history of heroics against Florida State, pinch-hit for ineffective freshman cleanup hitter Sterlin Thompson, who had fanned with Jacob Young on second base in the fifth inning. With the game tied at 2-2 and Calilao able to quickly get a 2-1 count, the breakthrough the Gators had sought all night — maybe all season — seemed like it could have been at hand.