Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Riding a six-game winning streak, No. 1 Florida (12-1) meets North Florida (6-6) on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Harmon Stadium. The Gators and Ospreys will return to McKethan Stadium on Wednesday at 7 p.m. to complete the mid-week series. Both squads faced Ivy League competition over the weekend, with UF sweeping Dartmouth and UNF taking the first two games from Penn before dropping the finale.
 
The game can be heard through FloridaGators.com on the Gator IMG Sports Network with Jeff Cardozo and Steve Russell and will be streamed live on A-Sun TV.
 
QUICK HITS ABOUT THE GATORS

• Florida boosted its winning streak to six games by going 5-0 last week, taking both meetings in a home-and-home series with UCF (9-5, 4-0) before sweeping Dartmouth at McKethan Stadium (7-0, 4-3 (12), 8-6).
• Head coach Kevin O'Sullivan's club opened the campaign with six straight wins before falling to No. 6 Miami on Feb. 27, 5-3.
• The Gators are 7-1 (.875) against in-state foes this season, sweeping the opening weekend set against FGCU, taking a 2-1 series from No. 6 Miami and claiming two matchups versus UCF.
• Florida has six positional starters hitting above .300 and sport a team batting average of .291.
• UF's pitching staff has compiled an earned run average of 2.50 and is holding foes to a .193 average, while the squad boasts a fielding percentage of .980.
• Sophomore catcher JJ Schwarz (.325, 16 R, 14 RBI, 13 BB) batted .500 (4-for-8) in the sweep of the Big Green, with five RBI and three walks, while freshman second baseman Deacon Liput (.419, 12 RBI, 6 2B) had a .417 (5-for-12) clip on the weekend and has reached base in all 13 games this season.
• Freshman third baseman Jonathan India (.297) went 3-for-8 (.375) and notched team highs in runs (5) and stolen bases (2) against Dartmouth, while junior first baseman Peter Alonso (.357, 16 RBI) and sophomore second baseman Dalton Guthrie (.358, 12 RBI) drove in four runs apiece.
• On the mound, junjor RHP Logan Shore (3-0, 0.43) and sophomore RHP Alex Faedo (3-0, 2.12) claimed their third straight starts this season.
• Junior outfielder Buddy Reed batted .350 (7-for-20) over UF's five victories last week, with six runs, five RBI, four walks and four extra-base hits (two doubles, one triple, one homer). He tied Sunday's finale with Dartmouth by roping a two-run triple in the fifth inning after belting a walk-off homer to open the Gators' 12th inning on Saturday.
• Reed is currently on an eight-game hitting streak in which he is 11-for-32 (.344), with nine runs and six walks.
• Florida's starters are 8-1 with a 2.09 earned run average, with 84 strikeouts in 64.2 innings and a .186 average against.
• This week will mark the Gators' final stretch with five non-conference games (Tuesday/Wednesday/Friday-Sunday). The 10 consecutive SEC series gauntlet begins next Friday and the squad will usually play one midweek contest, except during semester exams.
• Florida will host Harvard (2-2) of the Ivy League in a three-game series starting Friday in its final non-conference weekend set before SEC play starts on March 18 at home against Eastern Division foe Missouri.

 
DRAWING THE START
Junior right-hander Dane Dunning (1-0, 6.23) will oppose North Florida freshman left-hander Austin Drury (1-0, 3.38). Dunning has made four appearances and two starts spanning 8.2 innings and has 12 strikeouts and three walks. The righty had a no-decision at UCF last Tuesday night (3.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 6 K, 1 BB)
 
LAST MEETING BETWEEN THE GATORS & OSPREYS
Florida plated three runs with two out in the eighth inning to turn a 7-5 deficit into an 8-7 victory over North Florida (2-2) on Feb. 19, 2014 at McKethan Stadium. The Gators trailed 4-0 in the second inning, grabbed a 5-4 advantage in the seventh and trailed by two runs entering the home part of the eighth before rallying for their third victory in a row. After the Ospreys had scored three runs on three hits and an error in the top of the frame, Braden Mattson (2-for-4) had a one-out single off of Jamie Cardwell. John Sternagel drew a pinch-hit walk for a pair of runners aboard and Ryan McMahon (0-1) had Justin Shafer pop up for the second out. An infield single by Buddy Reed (1-for-2, two runs) loaded the bases and a fielding error on a potential inning-ending grounder by Richie Martin enabled Mattson and Sternagel to come home for a 7-7 stalemate. Casey Turgeon (3-for-5, two RBI) ripped McMahon's next offering up the middle to provide the winning margin.
 
SERIES NUGGETS
The Gators hold an 8-6 (.571) advantage over the Ospreys and eight of the 14 contests have been decided by two runs or less. Kevin O'Sullivan is 8-4 (.667) against North Florida: 8-2 (.800) in Gainesville and 0-2 (.000) in Jacksonville.
 
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