Florida closer Brandon Neeley ejected after celebrating bases-loaded strikeout in 8th inning vs. UGA

Florida relief pitcher Brandon Neely was tossed from Sunday’s game against Georgia in the eighth inning after striking out Parks Harber with the bases loaded and two outs.

Neely, the SEC saves leader, was brought into the game to finish the final out of the inning. A base hit would have tied the game, anything else would have given the Bulldogs the lead. So after Neely struck Harber out, he was excited — as he should be.

Home plate umpire Brian deBrauwere took exception to his reaction and tossed him without hesitation. Catch the questionable call below:

#Gators Pitcher Brandon Neely is thrown out for flexing after a massive strike out.

Fans are furious. Showering the home plate umpire with boos – for good reason.

Not entirely sure how that is warranted of ejection pic.twitter.com/2NHDnzrsfX

— Will Levenson (@BigWillLevenson) April 16, 2023

Florida leads the Bulldogs 11-4 in the bottom of the eighth inning after a grand slam from NCAA home run leader Jac Caglianone, but Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan will have to reach into his reserves, as Neely was the final pitcher in the bullpen for Florida on Sunday.

Jac Caglianone, Josh Rivera’s bats led the way vs. Georgia

Florida SS Josh Rivera continued his sensational season with a two-run home run in his first at-bat during the first inning against Georgia on Sunday. He hit a double and a single before the fifth inning, meaning he was only a triple away from the cycle not even halfway through the game.

He finished the game 3-of-5 at the plate and improved his batting average up to .399 on the year — good for fifth-best in the SEC. The two-shot bomb was good for the senior’s 14th homer of the season and counted for his 51st and 52nd RBI.

From then, it was the Jac Caglianone show. He hit his nation-leading 20th home run on a three-RBI shot in the second inning to give the Gators a 6-0 lead. Georgia would score four straight runs before Caglianone stepped back up to the plate in the bottom of the eighth after hitting the grand slam to put the game out of reach.

Caglianone, a two-way player, also earned the start on the mound Sunday afternoon. He pitched five innings, striking out four and giving up four hits. Two runs scored on his watch, including a home run in the fourth, and the performance in the circle dropped his season ERA average to 4.74.

After the Georgia series, Florida will turn its attention to in-state foe Florida A&M for a one-off game on Tuesday before focusing on this weekend’s road series against No. 6 South Carolina beginning on Thursday.