Gator ace Logan Shore (6-0, 2.66 ERA) earned his sixth victory of the season as he threw 91 pitches and allowed two earned runs in 5.2 innings of work. He finished with a stat line of eight hits allowed, four strikeouts, and two hit batsmen.
After Shore's exit with two outs in the top of the sixth inning, lefty Kirby Snead came in and delivered 2.1 strong innings of relief. He allowed just two hits and no runs as he struck out two batters.
In the the top of the ninth, Nick Horvath took the mound and worked past a leadoff single by inducing a ground ball and striking out a batter.
With one out remaining in the game, Coach O'Sullivan pulled Horvath and brought in Frank Rubio to close out the game. Rubio would do his job, as the lone batter he faced popped up to end the contest.
Offensively, the Gator lineup blasted Bulldog starter Dakota Hudson (4-2, 1.68 ERA) as they tagged him for five runs in the fifth inning to seize a commanding 6-2 lead. Two more runs in eighth would push Florida's lead to 8-2 and leave no doubt of a Gator victory.
Leadoff man Dalton Guthrie led all Gator hitters as he went 3-4 with an RBI, a run scored, and a walk. He was one of three Gators to record multiple base knocks in the game.
In the three-hole, JJ Schwarz recorded his second multi-hit game of the month as he went 2-5 and led the team with two RBI's on the night.
Skipping all the way down to the eighth spot of the batting order, Nelson Maldonado also notched his second multi-hit game of the month. The freshman left fielder went 2-4 with two runs scored and the first stolen base of his collegiate career. The only other Gator to score multiple times was fellow freshman Jonathan India, who crossed home twice tonight.
Among those with just one hit, Buddy Reed and Deacon Liput were crucial in the fifth inning. Buddy's bases loaded single gave Florida a 3-2 lead and Deacon's RBI single capped off the five-run inning.
Final Takeaway:
The No.1 Florida Gators were benefactors of the big inning in their win over No. 10 Mississippi State. Before shifting attention to another potential series win at the Mac, here are my final tidbits on tonight's victory:
- Jonathan India kicked off the Gator rally in the bottom of the fifth inning when he faked a bunt and slashed a double in the gap to knot the score up at two. This would be Florida's only extra base hit all game and India's ninth double of the season.
- Logan Shore exited the game briefly in the top of the second inning before returning after about five minutes. I have no idea why he left the game, but fortunately it was not injury-related.
- Ryan Larson, who always comes in as a defensive replacement in the later innings of every game, got his second at-bat of the week tonight. He was hit by a pitch and finished 0-0 with a run scored.
- Clean-up hitter Peter Alonso was the only starter to not record a hit as he finished the night 0-4.
- At the top of the Mississippi State lineup, center fielder Jake Mangum had himself a game as he went 3-5.
- Both offenses showed up as Florida banged out 12 hits and Mississippi State banged out 11.
- The Florida pitching staff fanned just six Bulldogs but walked none, while the Mississippi State pitching staff struck out nine Gators but surrendered two walks.
- Florida has now won 29 straight games at the Mac and the Gators are currently 22-0 at home this season!
- Florida now boasts a five-game winning streak over the Bulldogs dating back to 2013 (this includes on victory in the SEC Tournament as well).
With the series opener underneath their belt, Florida will look to win both their 30th game and their third SEC series of the year behind the arm of sophomore Alex Faedo (6-0, 2.53 ERA). Mississippi State will counter with junior Austin Sexton (3-1, 2.98 ERA).
Game 2 is set for 7 p.m. It can be seen on the SEC Network and heard on the Gator IMG Sports Network.
*All stats accredited to FloridaGators.com
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