Logan Shore came through in a big way in what is expected to be his final start at McKethan Stadium. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA)
Gators' Shore Delivers Gem, Forces Game 3 vs. Seminoles
Sunday, June 12, 2016 | Baseball, Scott Carter
Junior right-hander wins 17th consecutive decision to keep Florida's season alive
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Logan Shore needed only one inning to show what was in store in his final outing at McKethan Stadium. And Florida's lineup, shut out the previous night, needed only one inning to push the winning run home.
Shore struck out the side in the first and never let up, tossing eight shutout innings in Florida's 5-0 win over Florida State on Sunday night in Game 2 of the Gainesville Super Regional. Shore's gem kept the Gators' season alive and forced Game 3 on Monday for a trip to the College World Series.
Game 3 is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Junior left-hander A.J. Puk, the No. 6 overall pick in the MLB amateur draft on Thursday, will start for the Gators.
A night after FSU's Drew Carlton stymied the Gators, Shore returned the favor in a game that was delayed 3 hours, 12 minutes due to inclement weather. Shore allowed only four baserunners, two hits and struck out nine, one shy of his career high set on March 18 in a victory over Missouri. The shutout was the first for the Gators in school history in a super regional.
"He threw the ball great,'' Florida coach Kevin O'Sullivan said. "Very similar to last night. We got shut out and then tonight obviously some things went our way. Winner tomorrow moves on. We're excited about that opportunity."
In his 22nd outing since the start of last year's SEC Tournament, Shore won his 17th consecutive decision and improved to 12-0 with a 2.08 ERA this season. The junior right-hander was Oakland's second-round draft pick on Thursday and ran to the mound in the ninth as the fans applauded another clutch outing. He departed after walking Taylor Walls to leadoff the inning. Shore threw a season-high 114 pitches (78 strikes) and left to a standing ovation from what remained of the announced crowd of 5,326.
"That was a pretty special moment,'' he said. "That gave me chills running out there for the ninth. That's something I will remember for the rest of my life."
Shore retired 24 of the 28 batters he faced, including 12 in a row after John Sansone's one-out single in the first. Shore liked his chances to force a Game 3 prior to his first pitch Sunday.
"After watching them last night, I thought my stuff matched up pretty well with the lefties in the lineup,'' he said. "I thought what it came down to was I located my fastball extremely well down in the zone. They just didn't seem comfortable the whole night."
"He's beautiful. He just carved us up,'' FSU coach Mike Martin said.
After managing only two hits in Game 1, Florida (51-14) had 10 hits in Game 2 and grabbed an early lead when Peter Alonso doubled home a run off FSU starter Tyler Holton. Alonso picked up another RBI in the third on a ground out to shortstop that scored Dalton Guthrie, who singled to lead off the inning and then advanced to third on a pair of wild pitches by Holton.
The early runs got the crowd into the game and provided a jolt of confidence.
"Yesterday was a difficult game for us. Anytime you get shut out, you just try to get some sort of momentum,'' O'Sullivan said. "It was important for us to get on the board early. You are playing against a very, very good team. Every run counts. You just try to distance yourself."
Still nursing a 2-0 lead in the eighth, Gators freshman second baseman Deacon Liput stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs. Liput lined a single down the first-base line to score a pair of runs and provide the Gators a four-run cushion. JJ Schwarz drove home UF's final run with an RBI double in the ninth, which scored Alonso.
Alonso was the offensive star, going 3-for-4 with three doubles, a walk, two RBIs and two runs.
"It's an elimination game. You've got to put your heart and soul into it and give it all you got," Alonso said. "Getting on the board and giving the team a jump-start in the first inning set the tone for the ballgame. I feel like that really helped the energy in the dugout and the mentality for the rest of the game."
Shore struck out the side in the first and never let up, tossing eight shutout innings in Florida's 5-0 win over Florida State on Sunday night in Game 2 of the Gainesville Super Regional. Shore's gem kept the Gators' season alive and forced Game 3 on Monday for a trip to the College World Series.
Game 3 is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Junior left-hander A.J. Puk, the No. 6 overall pick in the MLB amateur draft on Thursday, will start for the Gators.
A night after FSU's Drew Carlton stymied the Gators, Shore returned the favor in a game that was delayed 3 hours, 12 minutes due to inclement weather. Shore allowed only four baserunners, two hits and struck out nine, one shy of his career high set on March 18 in a victory over Missouri. The shutout was the first for the Gators in school history in a super regional.
"He threw the ball great,'' Florida coach Kevin O'Sullivan said. "Very similar to last night. We got shut out and then tonight obviously some things went our way. Winner tomorrow moves on. We're excited about that opportunity."
In his 22nd outing since the start of last year's SEC Tournament, Shore won his 17th consecutive decision and improved to 12-0 with a 2.08 ERA this season. The junior right-hander was Oakland's second-round draft pick on Thursday and ran to the mound in the ninth as the fans applauded another clutch outing. He departed after walking Taylor Walls to leadoff the inning. Shore threw a season-high 114 pitches (78 strikes) and left to a standing ovation from what remained of the announced crowd of 5,326.
"That was a pretty special moment,'' he said. "That gave me chills running out there for the ninth. That's something I will remember for the rest of my life."
Shore retired 24 of the 28 batters he faced, including 12 in a row after John Sansone's one-out single in the first. Shore liked his chances to force a Game 3 prior to his first pitch Sunday.
"After watching them last night, I thought my stuff matched up pretty well with the lefties in the lineup,'' he said. "I thought what it came down to was I located my fastball extremely well down in the zone. They just didn't seem comfortable the whole night."
"He's beautiful. He just carved us up,'' FSU coach Mike Martin said.
After managing only two hits in Game 1, Florida (51-14) had 10 hits in Game 2 and grabbed an early lead when Peter Alonso doubled home a run off FSU starter Tyler Holton. Alonso picked up another RBI in the third on a ground out to shortstop that scored Dalton Guthrie, who singled to lead off the inning and then advanced to third on a pair of wild pitches by Holton.
The early runs got the crowd into the game and provided a jolt of confidence.
"Yesterday was a difficult game for us. Anytime you get shut out, you just try to get some sort of momentum,'' O'Sullivan said. "It was important for us to get on the board early. You are playing against a very, very good team. Every run counts. You just try to distance yourself."
Still nursing a 2-0 lead in the eighth, Gators freshman second baseman Deacon Liput stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs. Liput lined a single down the first-base line to score a pair of runs and provide the Gators a four-run cushion. JJ Schwarz drove home UF's final run with an RBI double in the ninth, which scored Alonso.
Alonso was the offensive star, going 3-for-4 with three doubles, a walk, two RBIs and two runs.
"It's an elimination game. You've got to put your heart and soul into it and give it all you got," Alonso said. "Getting on the board and giving the team a jump-start in the first inning set the tone for the ballgame. I feel like that really helped the energy in the dugout and the mentality for the rest of the game."
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