As they watched Florida Gulf Coast put up an eight-run second inning Wednesday, the No. 2 Florida baseball team knew it was time to respond. The Gators take pride in their ability to come back in games, but this would be the toughest challenge they had faced all year.
Florida’s response came by scoring in five straight innings and shutting the Eagles offense down the rest of the night in a 13-8 victory before 3,390 at McKethan Stadium.
It couldn’t have started any worse. After a perfect first inning, Florida starting pitcher Anthony DeSclafani ran into immediate trouble. He allowed five hits, hit one batter and had a throwing error on a sacrifice bunt before being pulled with one out in the second inning. He ended the game throwing 1.1 innings, allowing five hits and seven runs (six earned).
“Leave the ball up and that’s what happens,” Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said.
The hole was deep. But as the Gators have learned this season and last, their ability to fight back can sometimes help them steal a victory.
“It was one of those things where it’s early in the game and we know our offense could help us out a little bit,” said Gators second baseman Josh Adams, who drove in three runs with his 2-for-5 performance that included his fourth home run of the season. “It was more about our pitchers settling in and making pitches they need to make.”
It might not have been monumental, but their fight started by scoring one run in the second inning. The run came without a single hit as Florida Gulf Coast starting pitcher Patrick Nathanson walked four batters in the inning to allow the run to score, and the Eagles would walk 10 batters on the night. The run wasn’t huge, but even the snippet of momentum the Gators stole back was big for what would follow.
“I’m sure they’ll talk about the 10 walks,” O’Sullivan added. “It certainly contributed to our comeback.”
Florida would continue cutting into the lead with an RBI double from Nolan Fontana in the third inning, followed by Matt den Dekker and Daniel Pigott both being hit by pitches with the bases loaded. Only three innings into the game, Florida already had the Florida Gulf Coast lead down to 8-4.
“I definitely felt we could come back,” Fontana said. “Baseball is a crazy sport and you never know until the last out. I’ve seen it happen a lot. Our first couple pitches struggled a little bit, but we got some good (at bats), and we put some runs on the board early and often.”
The biggest blow came in the fourth inning when the Gators took the lead with a five-run frame. Adams hit a two-run blast and den Dekker followed with a three-run home run later in the inning that gave the Gators a 9-8 lead. The blast for Adams was big to get the team closer, but it might have been even bigger personally. His offensive game has struggled in the past few weeks, and his performance at the plate spoke volumes.
“I’ve been working on some stuff,” Adams said. “It came through today and we’ll take it into Friday hopefully.”
The impressive part about den Dekker’s blast was that it was an opposite-field line drive. His power when he pulls the ball hasn’t been questioned but hitting the ball the other way with that much authority is something he doesn’t show off very often. He hit a 3-2 high fastball and dropped it into the left-field bleachers.
“I just tried to put a good swing on it,” den Dekker said. “The guy was staying away and I got a good pitch to hit.”
The two runs from the fifth inning came on RBI singles by Fontana and Ben McMahan. Preston Tucker and Adams each had an RBI single in the sixth inning, pushing Florida to a 13-8 lead it wouldn’t relinquish.
While the offense continued its onslaught, the Florida pitching held the Eagles hitters at bay and kept the deficit manageable.
Clint Franklin made his season debut, going two innings, allowing one hit and one walk to pick up the victory.
“Pitching-wise, the key to the game was Franklin coming in and putting two zeros on the board,” O’Sullivan said. “He was able to put some zeros on the board and we kept the momentum on our side. If we turn around and give up even one run, then the momentum shifts to their side.”
Justin Poovey, Steven Rodriguez and Nick Maronde combined to throw four scoreless innings, allowing four hits.
The Gators will hit the road for their first SEC series away from home as they take on Mississippi in Oxford this weekend. Friday night will feature a matchup of left-handers, with Florida throwing sophomore Alex Panteliodis (5-0, 1.52 ERA) against Ole Miss junior Drew Pomeranz (3-0, 1.23 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 7:35 EDT.