ORLANDO – Freshman right-hander Anthony DeSclafani picked up his first collegiate victory with five innings of one-run baseball as No. 25 Florida defeated UCF, 7-3, Wednesday night.
Sophomore Josh Adams and junior Clayton Pisani each had 2 RBI and junior Matt den Dekker was 3-for-5 batting in the leadoff spot.
The Gators (11-7) opened the scoring in the third inning on an RBI single by den Dekker and a two-run double by Adams.
Taylor opened the home part of the sixth with a single into right field, ending the night for DeSclafani. Over five innings, the rookie scattered six hits, had four strikeouts and threw first-pitch strikes to 21 of the 23 batters he faced.
Pisani came through with a crucial two-run double in the seventh that expanded the Gators’ lead to 5-1.
Freshman Preston Tucker got his first career triple with one down in the eighth and freshman Tyler Thompson followed with a pinch-hit sacrifice fly to boost the Florida lead to 7-2.
The Gators resume Southeastern Conference play on Friday night when they host Eastern Division rival Tennessee (8-9/1-2 SEC) in the opener of a three-game series at McKethan Stadium. First pitch will be at 6:35 p.m.