GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Kendall Graveman did not get much run support on Saturday night. He didn't need it.

The junior right-hander tossed 72/3 scoreless innings as No. 25 Mississippi State blanked No. 5 Florida 2-0 to even their series in Gainesville.

The Bulldogs (31-19, 13-13 SEC) scored on Florida sophomore right-hander Jonathon Crawford (4-2), filling in for an injured Brian Johnson (hamstring), in the top of the first on a Hunter Renfroe RBI single. It turned out to be the game's deciding run.

Florida (37-14, 15-11 SEC) threatened in the second inning when left fielder Justin Shafer reached on an error and designated hitter Austin Maddox was hit by a pitch with two down. Graveman forced Florida freshman Josh Tobias to ground out, and put a zero on the scoreboard.

Graveman (4-3) did not allow a hit through the first five innings. The Gators opened the bottom of the sixth with back-to-back singles, placing runners on the corners with no outs.

Tobias was up in another threatening situation. The eight-hole hitter drilled Graveman's pitch, but it went straight to the glove of Bulldog third baseman Sam Frost. Graveman got Gator first baseman Vickash Ramjit to ground into a double play and escaped the inning unscathed.

"We really believe in 'don't give in,'" Graveman said of working out of the jam. "That gave us a lot of momentum. We were able to keep them off the board, go back to the dugout and try to swing for more."

The Bulldogs were unable to swing for more. Three Florida relievers combined for five scoreless innings on a night in which MSU left 13 men on base.

"We've got each others' backs. If we don't score runs, we're going to keep the other team from scoring," Graveman said.

Jonathan Holder had Graveman's back, pitching one and one-third of an inning to complete the shutout and earn his fourth save.

Confused

The duo had the Gators confused at the plate all night. The first five hitters in Florida's batting order combined to go 0 for 19 with only one walk. Graveman noticed that UF hitters were having trouble hitting his lower pitches, and made them miss all night.

"I thought his fastball was working well for him tonight. It was really sinking," Mississippi State coach John Cohen said.

Cohen was back in the dugout after missing Friday night's game due to a suspension from the SEC for a post-game ejection in last Sunday's finale against Alabama.

The loss was only the Gators' second shutout loss of the season, and their first at home since March 8, 2011 against Georgia Southern.

Cohen plans to start either right-hander Brandon Woodruff or lefty Luis Pollorena in today's series finale. Florida will send sophomore right-hander Karsten Whitson to the mound in the rubber game, which is scheduled for noon.