It was just like old times for Josh Adams and Austin Maddox Friday night. The former Eagle’s View Academy (Jacksonville) teammates wanted to get the Florida Gators off on the right foot and they wasted no time making their imprint on the new season. Adams, a junior second baseman, and Maddox, a freshman whose first action was at DH, each launched two-run home runs in the first inning to help power the Gators to a 6-2 victory over USF before an opening night crowd of 3,309 at McKethan Stadium.
Adams’ home run in the first inning was a no-doubter to left-center field, launched after Matt den Dekker led off with a single. While the home run was a no-doubter, Adams mixed in a fifth-inning home run that made the first one look like it scraped the wall. The second was a towering blast that cleared the left field bleachers with ease. The fans in the bleachers barely moved as they watched the high fly ball sail on by.
For good measure, Adams also doubled in a run during the seventh inning, finishing the night at 3-3 with a walk and four RBI. It was a great night but the signature moment was that second home run.
“I told Sully I was going up looking off-speed,” Adams said. “[The first one] felt good. I had goose bumps running around the bases. It was just something to spark the team a little bit.”
Maddox’s home run came in the first swing of his college career on the second pitch of the at-bat. He worked all offseason on hitting the ball to the opposite field, and this line drive into the right-center field bullpen showed the progress. He went 2-4 with two RBI in his collegiate debut.
“It felt great,” Maddox said. “I was a little nervous, but I got a good pitch and put a good swing on it. It was exciting. I kind of felt like it was a dream. That doesn’t happen to many people.”
Despite the humble grin that came to Maddox’s face when thinking about the home run, his lifelong friend actually thinks he might have enjoyed it more.
“I was probably happier than he was, because he just wanted to hit another one,” Adams quipped.
Nobody was more amazed by Maddox’s laser beam home run might than Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan, who hasn’t seen many balls leave the park as quickly as the one Maddox hit.
“That ball was hit hard,” O’Sullivan said with a smile. “For his first college at-bat, and to run into a ball like that, you don’t see many balls like that get out of here to right-center in a hurry.
Tommy Toledo started the game on the mound for the Gators with a strict pitch count of 70. His control wasn’t great for most of the outing, but it was his first appearance in 16 months after missing last season from a torn labrum in his right shoulder.
He went 3-1/3 innings, allowing three hits, two walks and two hit batters. He finished the night throwing 71 pitches and striking out four batters. He allowed one unearned run on a dropped fly ball in the outfield and a ground out.
Though it wasn’t a polished outing, Toledo was just happy to be out there doing what he does best once again.
“It was pretty exciting,” Toledo said. “I had a little bit of jitters, but I’m glad to get out there for the first time. I was just trying to settle in, and I got more comfortable as it went along.”
Toledo had runners on first and third in the first inning, loaded the bases in the second inning and had two base runners in the third inning. Despite working out of the stretch a lot, he was able to bear down and get the strike out when he needed. He ended each of those innings with a swinging strikeout.
O’Sullivan was certainly pleased with what he saw, particularly since it was opening night and his starter hadn’t thrown in a game in more than a year.
“His stuff is good,” O’Sullivan said. “He was 90-92 [mph] for the most part and that’s the important thing at this stage is having his stuff back. He’s got to get his command better but he’s always had command. The command issue tonight was probably jitters. Stepping up and making pitches when he needed to is Tommy Toledo.”
Sophomore lefty Alex Panteliodis came in relief of his former Alonso High School teammate, entering the game in the fourth with a runner on first and one out. He made short work of the first batter he faced, inducing USF’s Ryan Lockwood into a second to short to first double play.
Panteliodis threw 3-1/3 innings, allowing three hits, one walk and one run on an RBI double from Sam Mende in the fifth inning. Panteliodis threw 47 pitches and struck out three batters.
“He threw the ball well,” O’Sullivan said. “He was sharper last week and we got the ball up a lot tonight and ran some deep counts, which isn’t characteristic of our staff. That had a lot to do with the jitters and nerves.”
Greg Larson threw the final 2 -1/3 innings of the game, allowing one hit and no runs. He also struck out two batters on the way to recording his first collegiate save. He got the seven outs while using only 25 pitches.
The series continues Saturday at 2 p.m. Freshman left-hander Brian Johnson will make his Gator debut against USF freshman right-hander Ray Delphey.