Jonathan India walked to the plate in he seventh inning of a game that was quickly getting away from the Florida Gators (9-2). The Columbia Lions (0-2) pushed a run across the board in the sixth inning and Florida’s bats, which looked to wake up on Friday night, had run cold.
India didn’t waste time. He swung at the first pitch and slammed a two-out ground-rule double into the visitor’s bullpen. That started a two-out rally that eventually led to the Gators’ 7-2 win on Saturday night.
A scary moment followed India’s double. JJ Schwarz hit a line drive right back at Columbia pitcher Zack Bahm. The ball struck the right side of Bahm’s face and careened into the field. Schwarz was credited with a RBI double. Bahm was taken off the field and needed stitches but will be fine, Columbia manager Brett Boretti told Gator Country after the game.
“That was really scary,” Schwarz said after the game. “That was the first time I’d seen it in person and being the one that hit it really rattling for me. I hope he recovers fully. You never want to see that.”
After a pitching change the seventh continued for Florida. Mike Rivera lined a ball into right center and got on his horse. The catcher turned second hard and headed for third, sliding in safely for his first triple of the season and the fourth of his career.
“It was nice to get on base and run around,” he said with a smile. “I’m not used to that.”
Nelson Maldonado walked and Mark Kolozsvary continued the hit parade with a single of his own back up the middle to plate Rivera. Deacon Liput walked to load the bases and Nick Horvath worked a bases loaded walk to score the fourth run of the inning, giving the Gators a 6-2 lead.
“We haven’t been hitting all too well as a collective group but we’ve had some guys hitting well and it’s just really nice.
Columbia was the first to strike. After an impressive performance from Brady Singer last weekend over Miami, the sophomore didn’t have his ‘A’ game on Saturday. Singer had some difficulty locating his pitches and found himself, and his pitch count, in trouble early.
“At times he doesn’t know where its going, but I was trying to tell him it’s not about where you put the ball in or out, it’s about the height of the pitch. Keep the ball down,” Rivera said after the game. “He battled. He didn’t have all his stuff but he battled. That’s all I can ask for as a catcher.”
Florida tacked on an insurance run in the eighth inning, while the bullpen combination of Andrew Baker, Frank Rubio, Tyler Dyson and Nick Horvath combined to throw 3.2 scoreless innings.
The Gators are a perfect 8-0 on the weekend to start the 2017 season and will look for its third consecutive weekend sweep on Sunday when they host Columbia at 1 p.m. Florida will send Jackson Kowar (2-0 1.59) to the mound against Ty Wiest, who missed the 2016 season due to injury.