AUBURN, Ala. – After a season-high 20 hits during a 24-2 victory Saturday, Florida made only five hits Sunday against Auburn in their Southeastern Conference baseball game at Plainsman Park.
But four freshmen Gators made those five hits stand up.
First baseman Preston Tucker had a 2-out, 2-run single in the fourth inning to break a 1-1 tie and Daniel Pigott hit a 2-run home run in the top of the eighth to provide some insurance. Together with strong pitching from Anthony DeSciafani and Alex Panteliodis, who shut down Auburn’s potent attack with nine strikeouts, it all added up to a 5-1 victory for Florida.
Coach Kevin O’Sullivan’s No. 22 Gators (23-12, 9-6 SEC East) have a Tuesday night meeting at 6 with the Florida State Seminoles in Tallahassee and a Wednesday evening 6:30 home game with Stetson coming up before a three-game SEC series with Mississippi beginning Friday night at 6:30 in McKethan Stadium.
DeSciafani (4-1), a freshman right-hander from Freehold, N.J., had his best effort of the season, going 6.1 innings and allowing just one run on four hits while striking out six. Panteliodis, a freshman left-hander from Tampa Alonso High, allowed just three hits in 2.2 scoreless innings and had three strikeouts for his first collegiate save.
The two Florida freshmen hurlers also did not allow a walk while Auburn’s three pitchers yielded 11 to the Gators.
Florida took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second. With one out, Buddy Munroe beat out a bunt against Auburn starter Taylor Thompson and Teddy Foster followed with a single. Mike Mooney walked to load the bases and Matt den Dekker brought home Munroe when he beat out a potential inning-ending double play groundball to short.
The Tigers (23-12, 7-8 SEC West) tied it in the bottom of the third when Justin Hargett, who had three hits, had a one-out infield single and Trent Mummey followed with a double down the right-field line, moving Hargett to third. Joseph Sanders’ sacrifice fly scored Hargett.
But the Gators answered in the top of the fourth. After getting the first batter, Thompson walked Mooney, den Dekker and Pigott to load the bases. Bradley Hendrix came in to relieve Thompson and got Avery Barnes to strike out swinging on a 3-2 pitch. But Tucker, who came into the series having gone 10-of-12 in his previous three games with six home runs and 20 RBI, jumped on the first pitch and singled to score Mooney and den Dekker for a 3-1 Florida lead.
Tucker finished the weekend series with 6 RBI on 5-of-15 hitting.
DeSciafani started the seventh and got Fletcher to fly to right for the first with his 91st pitch (and 61st strike). O’Sullivan then brought in Panteliodis and he struck out Patterson before giving up consecutive hits to Casey McElroy and Hargett, putting runners on first and third. Panteliodis then got two strikes on Mummey and got him to ground out to second baseman Josh Adams.
Florida responded with two more runs in the eighth. Mooney walked and was sacrificed to second by den Dekker. Austin Hubbard then replaced Hendrix and had a 3-1 count on Pigott before the freshman from Seabreeze High School and Ormond Beach homered to left to provide the final margin of victory. Pigott would finish with two hits in the game.
Panteliodis had a 1-2-3 eighth inning and got the first two outs in the bottom of the ninth before surrendering a single by Kevin Patterson. But he regathered himself and got McElroy to ground out to Tucker, who flipped the ball to Panteliodis, who threw 36 strikes in 50 pitches, for the final out.
Tuesday’s game at Florida State is the final one of the three-game season series. Florida took the first game, 5-4, on St. Patrick’s Day in Gainesville. Florida State won 3-2 in a five-inning, rain-shortened game at The Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville March 31.