GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- With tension on the rise at the delivery of each pitch, Gators freshman third baseman Jonathan India lowered the collective blood pressure of Florida fans at McKethan Stadium on Saturday night with one swing.
India smacked a fastball from UConn reliever Devin Over high into the dark sky to lead off the top of the eighth inning. The ball continued to drift until, finally, Huskies left fielder John Toppa ran out of room and the ball landed in the left-field bleachers for India's fourth homer of the season. India's solo shot was the decisive run in Florida's 6-5 win over the Huskies in the winner's bracket of the Gainesville Regional.
"I was sitting dead-red fastball. I got my good pitch,'' India said. "I thought off the bat it was good and I hit it pretty well, but then I saw it come back a little bit. I'm just glad it went out."
India's timely homer allowed the Gators to survive a seesaw affair that featured multiple lead changes and move within one victory of reaching a super regional. Florida (49-13) advanced to face the winner of Sunday's elimination game between UConn and Georgia Tech. The UConn-Georgia Tech game is at noon, and the winner faces Florida at 6 p.m. Georgia Tech remained alive Saturday with a 12-3 win over Bethune-Cookman.
Gators starter A.J. Puk was unable to hold onto a 5-2 lead on Saturday, but the bullpen bailed him out. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA)
In a top-shelf pitching matchup between Florida's A.J. Puk and UConn's Anthony Kay, teammates last summer on the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team and projected high picks in next week's MLB amateur draft, neither received a decision Saturday.
Puk was in great position for a postseason win, taking a 5-2 lead into the bottom of the fifth. But the junior lefty unraveled, loading the bases with no outs.
Aaron Hill's RBI single trimmed Florida's lead to 5-3 and Puk's wild pitch scored Zac Susi, who had reached base when Puk hit him with a pitch, to make it a one-run game. After Puk retired Jack Sundberg for the first out of the inning, O'Sullivan turned to reliever Dane Dunning.
"We took the lead, they answered back; we took the lead, they answered back,'' Gators coach Kevin O'Sullivan said. "They're a very, very tenacious group. Jonathan came up with a big hit at the end. I thought our bullpen was outstanding. Dane was probably the story of the game pitching-wise."
Dunning escaped Puk's mess in the fifth but not before Willie Yan's sacrifice fly scored Tyler Gnedsa with the tying run. It was the final run the Huskies scored as Dunning took control in a 39-pitch outing. He pitched 3 2/3 shutout innings, surrendered just one hit and retired eight consecutive Huskies during one stretch. Shaun Anderson took over in the ninth and notched his 13th save, tying the school record.
"I was trying to put up a nice goose egg for my team and just help us win,'' said Dunning, a former member of the starting rotation who earned his fifth win. "I always hope for the best success. Mainly, the reason I wanted to [come out of the bullpen] was just to help our team win, in any way."
Meanwhile, UConn's Kay left after 5 2/3 innings and the game tied 5-all. He threw 101 pitches and allowed eight hits, five runs (four earned), walked two and struck out three.
The Gators trailed 1-0 after Bobby Melley's towering home run over Stadium Road beyond the right-feld wall in the first, tied the game on freshman Danny Reyes' solo homer in the third, and took the lead on a pair of heady base-running plays from Dalton Guthrie later in the inning. After UConn tied the game 2-2 in the bottom of the third, UF regained the lead in the fourth on Nelson Maldonado's RBI single.
The Gators stretched their lead to 5-2 on Pete Alonso's two-run homer in the fifth. Alonso is 5-for-9 with three home runs and five RBIs since returning from a hand injury in the Gators' NCAA Tournament opener Friday night against Bethune-Cookman.
"It feels amazing,'' he said. "Coming back and contributing the way I am, I couldn't be happier. I'm looking to keep it rolling."
So are the Gators, who are one win away from taking another step on the Road to Omaha.
