One hit spoiled Florida’s Friday night. One very big, and very long, hit.
Brooks
Beisner’s mammoth three-run home run over the left-field fence in the
sixth inning helped power Florida Gulf Coast to an 8-2 victory over the
No. 17 Gators (3-3) Friday night at McKethan Stadium.
Beisner’s bomb, the Eagles’ first hit of the game, was a game changer.
Florida
entered the inning with right-handed starter Jonathon Crawford
seemingly in complete control, having pitched a no-hitter to that point,
and UF leading 1-0.
The game turned in a hurry in the sixth.
After hitting a batter and walking another, Crawford was pulled for reliever Daniel Gibson with one out.
Gibson
retired the first batter he faced for the second out. But then he
served up an inviting fastball to Beisner, who jumped all over it,
launching it into the pine trees in left to drastically change the game
and the mood.
“Missed
location. Simple as that,” UF coach Kevin O’Sullivan said of Gibson’s
pitch. “We just missed our spot. Sometimes it comes down to one play,
and momentum changes.
“You’ve got to tip your cap to their hitter. He did a good job. We missed our spot and he took advantage of it.”
Despite the big blow by Beisner, the Gators only trailed 3-2, going into the eighth inning, but the UF bullpen faltered badly.
Parker
Danciu gave up three hits and three runs in the eighth, and Aaron
Rhodes gave up four hits and two runs in the inning, ending any chance
of a late UF comeback.
“(The
bullpen) wasn’t very good, obviously,” O’Sullivan said. “We’ve got to
develop some depth in our pen and see what they can do. It’s just as
simple as that.”
O’Sullivan
said he was encouraged by Crawford’s performance. After struggling in
the opener a week ago, Crawford was unhittable through five innings
before losing his control to open the decisive sixth.
“I
thought he was really good,” O’Sullivan said. “Obviously, pitching
five-and-a-third innings and didn’t give up any hits. He was doing
something right. That one inning, I don’t know if he ran a little bit
out of gas or what.
“Overall,
I thought he pitched much better than he did the first weekend, and
it’s certainly something to build off of for next Friday.”
After being so dominant through the first five innings, Crawford said he lost his focus at the start of the sixth inning.
He
hit leadoff hitter (and No. 9 batter) Alex Diaz with a pitch to start
the inning. An out later, he walked Mike Reeves and was pulled from the
game.
“I
felt good (through the first five innings). I felt in rhythm,” Crawford
(0-1) said. “I had my breaking stuff going. I felt good until the sixth
inning. I just lost control.”
Conversely,
Florida Gulf Coast starter Ricky Knapp (2-0) was in control throughout,
pitching a complete game for the victory. He gave up only six hits,
struck out four and surrendered no walks.
UF’s
only runs came on sacrifice flies by first baseman Vickash Ramjit — one
in the second inning and another in the seventh to draw UF to within a
run at 3-2.
“(Knapp)
is a good pitcher. He always throws strikes,” UF cleanup hitter Justin
Shafer said. “We knew he was going to come in and pound the zone. We
tried to be aggressive, but he got us.”
The UF hitters were taking cuts early against Knapp, rarely trying to make him work deep into the count.
“He
throws strikes. He doesn’t walk anybody,” O’Sullivan said. “There is no
sense in getting deep in the count. He throws three pitches for strikes
at anytime.
“If you sit back and wait, it doesn’t do you any good. He throws strike after strike.”
The
Gators will send freshman right-hander Tucker Simpson (0-0, 4.50) to
the mound at 4 p.m. today, while FGCU (3-1) will throw junior
left-hander Brandon Bixler (0-0, 0.00).
