After their Friday opener was washed away the Gators and Volunteers got their weekend series kicked off on Saturday at 4:30.
Florida didn’t wait long to get scoring Saturday on the way to a season high 22 runs and 19 hits in a 22-6 win over Tennessee.
The Gators scored five runs in the second inning. A one out single by JJ Schwarz started things off. Austin Langworthy followed that up with a single of his own before Nick Horvath hit his second home run (both three-run home runs) in as many games, giving the Gators a 3-0 advantage. Freshman Brady Smith singled with two outs and Deacon Liput launched a two-run home run to right field to make it 5-0.
Lost in the offensive onslaught was Brady Singer and how good he was on Saturday. The junior struck out four of the first five batters he faced and didn’t allow a hit until the third. Nico Mascia doubled with one out and moved to third on Justin Ammons’ single. Mascia scored on a fiedler’s choice to cut into the lead. The Vols scored two more off of Singer in the fourth but the Tennessee defense would help the Gators blow the game wide open in the fifth.
Jonathan India opened the frame with a solo home run to straight away center field. It’s India’s team leading 12th of the season and extended his career-long hitting streak to 17 games. Wil Dalton reached on a throwing error and scored when JJ Schwarz doubled to right field. Austin Langworthy walked before the pair executed a double steal and scored on Blake Reese’s single. Before the dust settled in the inning the Gators had sent 12 batters to the plate, scored seven runs on four Tennessee errors.
Singer went back out to the mound and worked around two walks for another scoreless inning.
Florida went back out in the seventh and continued to pour it on.
Three straight singles started the inning before Kennan Bell drew a walk to make the score 13-3. Deacon Liput struck out and Maldonado reached on a fielder’s choice that scored a run and made the score 14-3 but Florida went on a two-out rally. India singled home a run, Andrew Baker singled to load the bases back up and Schwarz walked to bring in another run. Langworthy and Horvath singled to score four more runs and for the second inning in a row the Gators put up seven runs.
Brady Singer pitched five strong innings to earn his seventh win of the season. He gave up just four hits and three runs, two earned while striking out seven.
The 22 runs Florida scored on 20 hits were both season highs and the win extended Florida’s winning streak to a season high eight games.
Florida and Tennessee will play a double header on Sunday. The SEC rules that when teams play doubleheaders on Sunday that both games will be shortened to seven innings.
Sully’s 200th win
No team or coach has more wins than Kevin O’Sullivan’s Florida Gators since he took over the program in 2008. Today’s win was the 200th for Kevin O’Sullivan. His overall conference record is 200-109 (.647).
2008 | 17-13
2009 | 19-11
2010 | 22-8
2011 | 22-8
2012 | 18-12
2013 | 14-16
2014 | 21-9
2015 | 19-11
2016 | 19-10
2017 | 21-9
2018 | 8-2