A four-run fifth inning powered No. 17
Arkansas (30-13/10-10 SEC) to a 5-1 win over No. 2 Florida (33-11/12-8 SEC) on
Saturday night at McKethan Stadium that evened the teams’ weekend series. Tied
at a run apiece entering the fifth, the Razorbacks totaled six singles and
plated four runs to seize control of the contest. UA sophomore Brandon Moore
(4-1) threw five shutout innings, permitting just three hits, to collect the
victory.
“It
was just a weird game,” head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “We’ve scored
in two innings out of 17 innings of play. We hit eight times last night and
nine times tonight, so obviously we need to score more runs. I thought Randall
Fant did a nice job for Arkansas. He made pitches when he needed to with two
outs, and [Brandon] Moore came in and did a really nice job, too. I thought for
us, Keenan Kish pitched well. We just didn’t score enough runs; it’s as simple
as that.”
The Gators had back-to-back two-out hits off
junior left-hander Randall Fant in the first inning, as junior Mike Zunino
(Cape Coral, Fla.) (3-for-4) singled into center field and went to third on
single into right field by junior Brian Johnson (Cocoa Beach, Fla.)
(2-for-4). Fant retired junior Austin Maddox (Jacksonville, Fla.) on an
infield fly to keep the game scoreless.
In the second, UF freshman Josh Tobias
(Greensboro, N.C.) was plunked with two down and junior Cody Dent (Boynton
Beach, Fla.) beat out a bunt single. However, Tobias was thrown out trying to
take third on the play on a throw from Fant to junior Matt Reynolds.
Sophomore Dominic Ficociello (2-for-5)
provided Arkansas with a 1-0 lead in the third inning with a two-out single
into left field off Johnson (5-3). Freshman Joe Serrano ended a stretch of
six-straight hitters set down by the southpaw with a one-out single to right
field. After redshirt senior Tim Carver was hit by a pitch for two Razorbacks aboard,
Johnson struck out junior Jacob Mahan and Ficociello delivered an RBI single
that scored Serrano. A throwing error on the relay by junior left fielder Vickash
Ramjit (Miami, Fla.) enabled the runners to advance into scoring position.
Reynolds was walked intentionally to load the bases and Ramjit made a
phenomenal diving catch on a ball hit by senior Bo Bigham to save several runs
and prevent further trouble.
Florida tied the game in the bottom of the
frame on an RBI single by Johnson. Senior Daniel Pigott (Ormond Beach,
Fla.) led off by reaching on a fielding error by Ficociello at first base and senior
Preston Tucker (Tampa, Fla.) raised his hitting streak to 10 games with
a base-hit up the middle. Johnson tied the game with a one-out, line-drive
single that ricocheted off Ficociello, bringing in Pigott. Maddox roped a
single up the middle but Tucker was gunned down at the plate on a perfect
strike from redshirt sophomore center fielder Jacob Morris to freshman catcher
John Clay Reeves. A passed ball allowed Johnson and Maddox to reach third and
second, respectively, and Fant had freshman Casey Turgeon (Palm Harbor,
Fla.) ground out to first base to complete the inning.
Freshman Brian Anderson opened the fourth
with his first career double into left field and was sacrificed to third on a
bunt by Morris. Johnson struck out Reeves and had Serrano ground out to Dent at
shortstop to strand the runner.
Moore replaced Fant (3.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 ER,
4 K) prior to Florida’s fourth at bat and yielded a one-out infield single to
Tobias. The right-hander then had Dent bounce into an inning-ending 6-3 double
play.
The Razorbacks plated four runs on six hits
in the fifth to grab a 5-1 advantage. Carver started the frame with a base-hit
into right center and moved to second on a grounder by Mahan. Ficociello
singled into left field and an error by senior Jeff Moyer (Winter
Springs, Fla.) allowed Carver to come across for a 2-1 lead for the visitors.
Ficociello moved into scoring position with a stolen base and scored on an RBI
single into left center field by Reynolds. Bigham bunted for a single, pushing
Reynolds to third, and Johnson (4.1 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 6 K) was replaced by senior Greg
Larson (Longwood, Fla.). Redshirt sophomore Jimmy Bosco delivered a
pinch-hit RBI single to bring in Reynolds and Tobias caught a pop-up by Morris
in foul territory for the second out. Freshman pinch hitter Michael Gunn poked
a single up the middle to score Bigham with the fourth run of the frame and
Larson had senior pinch hitter Sam Bates ground out.
Sophomore Keenan Kish (Worcester, Pa.)
took over for Larson (0.2 IP, 2 H) prior to the sixth and retired the
Razorbacks in order on a pop-up, grounder and a strikeout. The right-hander
also threw a perfect seventh with a pair of strikeouts and tossed a 1-2-3
eighth with another K to establish a career high with four punch-outs.
Zunino collected his second double of the
night with one down in the eighth and went to third on a grounder by Johnson.
Moore had Maddox ground out to preserve the four-run lead for the visitors.
Kish put up another zero in the ninth for Arkansas and retired all 12 batters
he faced over a career-high four innings.
“Tonight,
the big thing for me was being able to throw all of my pitches for strikes,”
Kish said. “My job was to put up zeros and I did that the best that I could.
Every inning, every opportunity for myself, is a chance to grow. It is what you
make of it, and you have to be ready to go whenever your name is called upon.”
Sophomore Barrett Astin came in for Moore in
the ninth and issued a one-out walk to Moyer before hitting freshman pinch
hitter Taylor Gushue (Boca Raton, Fla.). Freshman pinch hitter Justin
Shafer (Lake Wales, Fla.) flew out to center field and Pigott grounded out
to complete the contest. In a matchup of right-handers, sophomore Jonathon
Crawford (Okeechobee, Fla.) (4-1, 3.86) will start tomorrow’s finale at
3:30 p.m. on ESPN against junior DJ Baxendale (6-2, 3.78).
