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GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Freshmen Deacon Liput and Jonathan India drove in three runs apiece and junior Ryan Larson was 4-for-4 as No. 1 Florida upended FGCU, 8-4, on Saturday at McKethan Stadium to clinch the season-opening series. In addition to the offensive production from its 7-9 hitters, the Gator bullpen tossed five scoreless and hitless innings behind the trio of freshman RHP Brady Singer (1-0, 3.0 IP, 3 K), sophomore LHP Nick Horvath (1.0 IP, 1 K) and junior RHP Frank Rubio (1.0 IP, 2 K).
 
UF trailed entering the sixth inning before Liput (2-for-4) cranked a two-run triple to give the hosts a lead that it would not relinquish. The Gators had five players turn in multiple-hit outings as part of the squad's 15-hit total without striking out, while their pitching staff did not permit any earned runs to the Eagles and tallied a dozen strikeouts.    
 
The Gators seized a 2-0 lead in the second inning, as Liput and India each collected their first career RBI. After sophomore Mike Rivera singled with one down off of junior Sterling Koerner (0-1) and Larson doubled to right field, Liput's grounder to second base opened the scoring. India followed with an infield single to the hole at shortstop for his first career hit to drive in Larson.
 
FGCU countered with four unearned runs to grab a 4-2 advantage in the third inning. Redshirt sophomore Gage Morey reached on a throwing error by junior left-hander A.J. Puk and freshman Ryan Shinn singled down the left-field line for runners on the corners and an error by India on a grounder by junior Jake Noll enabled Morey to come across. Senior Nick Rivera tied the game with a base-hit into left field and senior Colton Bottomley put the visitors in front with a two-out, two-run double off of the wall in left field.
 
India brought the Gators within 4-3 in the fourth with a sacrifice fly to straightaway center field. Larson had roped a one-out single up the middle and taken third base on a base-hit through the right side by Liput, setting the stage for India's second RBI of the afternoon.
 
Over four innings, Puk yielded four hits and four unearned runs, with six strikeouts and a walk. Singer debuted in the fifth and retired the side in order after striking out the first two Eagles he faced.
 
Liput moved the Gators ahead in the sixth with a two-run triple into the gap in right center, ending the afternoon for Koerner (5.1 IP, 10 H, 5 R). Sophomore Jeremy Vasquez (2-for-4, two runs) started the frame with a double and took third on Larson's third hit of the contest, a single into right field. After Liput put the Orange and Blue on top, India greeted junior reliever Garrett Anderson with a grounder to third base to drive in his classmate.
 
The Gators tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the seventh on RBI doubles by Vasquez and Larson to finalize the scoring. Sophomore JJ Schwarz led off with a triple to right field and came home on Vasquez's second two-bagger of the contest with one down. Larson later connected on a two-out double into left field for his career-best fourth hit to bring in Vasquez.
 
Horvath, a transfer from Santa Fe College, made his Gator debut with a perfect eighth inning, and Rubio followed with a clean sheet in the ninth to secure the triumph.
 
Postgame Quotes
Florida Head Coach Kevin O'Sullivan:
On his pitchers: 
"The bullpen was outstanding. We had (Brady) Singer come in and pitch three hitless innings, for (Nick) Horvath it was good to get him out there for the first time, and you got a new look at (Frank) Rubio dropping down. Our bullpen really was outstanding. I thought A.J's (Puk) stuff was very good early on, it was just a pitch here and a pitch there, and a good learning experience."
 
On today's hitting: 
"As far as offense, Ryan (Larson) obviously had a big day at the plate going 4-for-4 and scoring three runs. Deacon (Liput) had a big hit-and-run and had three RBI and Jonathan India had three RBI too. Jeremy (Vasquez) continues to swing a hot bat and got a couple of hits. The top of the order did a great job, where Dalton (Guthrie) and Buddy (Reed) had a couple of hits apiece."
 
Junior left-hander A.J. Puk
On his four-inning outing:
"I felt pretty good out there for the first couple innings. The third inning was just kind of a bad inning. Overall though, we came out in the fourth, and it was alright."
 
On his control and walking only one FGCU batter:
"My off-speed came out late in the game. I felt comfortable out there."
 
Freshman right-hander Brady Singer
On his performance and earning his first win as a Gator:
"I felt good. I pulled the slider a few times, but the fastball really felt good. I had to get the jitters out a bit, but all around it was a great team win. We fell behind a bit but we came back and fought through."
 
Junior left fielder Ryan Larson
On his career-high four hits:
"Just one of those days I guess where you find the holes and get your hits but it felt good and I guess that is a career high so yay."
 
Freshman second baseman Deacon Liput
On his nerves during his first collegiate games:
"Coming into a stage like this, it's just surreal. It's such a great feeling. It's a really humbling experience. When you first step on the field and you look around at the crowd, it's such an amazing feeling. You have a lot of nerves and a lot of anxiousness, but by now, I've really settled down. My teammates have helped me out a lot. They've answered a lot of my questions and they've been really comforting to me. Thankfully, I've been able to get used to this, not quite used to this, but I'm having a lot of fun. This is the best experience I've ever had in my life, so it's going really well."
 
Freshman third baseman Jonathan India
On tonight's game:
"It was a good game all-around, my teammates helped me through the game to keep me relaxed, the older guys especially. I just tried to do my job at the plate and I did well tonight."
 
Postgame Notes

• Gator freshmen Deacon Liput and Jonathan India combined to drive in the Gators' first six runs on Saturday.
• Liput notched his first career RBI with his grounder in the second. He also stole his first career base in the fourth and hit the Gators' first triple of the season in the sixth, driving in two more runs.
• Ryan Larson had a career-high four hits, including his double in the second inning, the Gators' first of the season. He also scored three times.

• The Gators notched seven extra-base hits, with five doubles and two triples.
• Five Gators (Dalton Guthrie, Buddy Reed, Jeremy Vasquez, Larson and Liput) had multiple hits.

• The three Gator relievers didn't allow a hit over their five innings of work and struck out seven FGCU batters.
• Freshman Brady Singer went three innings without giving up any hits and struck out three batters.
• In his first appearance as a Gator, Nick Horvath didn't allow a hit and struck out a batter over one inning of work.

• The Gators stole four bases Saturday night (India in the second, Reed in the third, Liput in the fourth and Guthrie in the sixth), matching last season's high for a single game.

• A crowd of 4,682 fans turned out to watch the Gators take on the Eagles, putting the total weekend attendance at 10,460.

 
Series History

• The Gators are now 11-5 (.688) against the Eagles, including 8-5 (.615) at McKethan Stadium.
• Florida has claimed the last four meetings.
   

Up Next
The Gators and Eagles will complete the series tomorrow at 1 p.m., with sophomore right-hander Alex Faedo facing redshirt sophomore right-hander Mario Leon. The game can be heard on the Gator IMG Sports Network with Jeff Cardozo and Steve Russell and Sunday's game will be carried on SEC Network+ with Nick Belmonte and Mick Hubert. This contest will be available through participating TV providers only through WatchESPN.
 
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