First, it looked like the No. 10 Gators were going to get blown out on Thursday night at Kentucky.
Then the Gators rallied to tie the game in the seventh inning and seemed poised to grab the lead in the eighth. Instead, the Wildcats held them off and cashed in on an opportunity of their own in the bottom of the inning. They held on to defeat the Gators, 7-5, in a wacky and emotionally exhausting game to open a very important series.
Kentucky (27-15, 11-11 SEC) reliever Alex Degen opened the pivotal eighth inning by walking Jud Fabian.