Brady Singer pitched four scoreless innings Saturday in one of his sharpest outings and first relief appearance of the season. (Photo: Courtney Culbreath/UAA Communications)
Nothing Comes Easy, But Gators Keep Winning
Sunday, June 11, 2017 | Baseball, Scott Carter
Florida has won four of five games in the NCAA Tournament and can clinch a berth in the College World Series for the third consecutive season with a win Sunday over Wake Forest.
These Gators jack up your blood pressure and keep your legs bouncing, even after a weather delay that lasted longer than the actual game such as Saturday at McKethan Stadium. The game started on a warm and humid afternoon, and 7 hours, 34 minutes later, ended on Ryan Larson's two-out, walk-off single up the middle.
Larson's dramatic game-winner lifted the Gators to a 2-1 win in 11 innings over Wake Forest in Game 1 of the Gainesville Super Regional. His teammates rushed the field and chased Larson into center field, where they mobbed him to celebrate the end of an exhausting day at the ballpark.
More importantly, Larson's hit moved the Gators one win from a return trip to the College World Series. And the way it played out fit the script perfectly for this team.
"Not an easy game,'' Gators coach Kevin O'Sullivan said. "We did just enough to win."
Sound familiar?
The Gators needed a late home run from JJ Schwarz to ease the pressure in a win against Marist, had to go 12 innings to beat USF, and after the first loss to Bethune-Cookman in school history, used an Austin Langworthy three-run homer to break a scoreless tie in the sixth inning to win the regional over Bethune.
Nothing is stress-free for this team, O'Sullivan's 10th at UF and perhaps the most unlikely to be knocking on Omaha's door.
Take Larson for example. The senior outfielder started the season as a sub, regained a starting spot in the lineup, and had two of Florida's four hits on Saturday in his first game in two weeks. Larson was hit in the head by a pitch at the SEC Tournament and missed the Gators' regional win.
In his return, Larson wore a batting helmet with a face guard attached to protect the left side of his face.
"It definitely spooked me when it happened,'' Larson said. "I felt pretty good coming into this week. They just had to put my bone back where it's supposed to be I guess."
No big deal in Larson's world.
The Gators can earn a third consecutive trip to the CWS with a victory Sunday over the free-swinging Demon Deacons, who struck out 23 times against the Gators' trio of Alex Faedo, Brady Singer and Michael Byrne in Game 1.
Making what was expected to be his final home start -- O'Sullivan said he could be available Monday if needed -- Faedo pitched four scoreless innings and struck out nine before play was halted at 4:18 p.m. due to lightning. The lightning turned into a full-blow thunderstorm and play finally resumed at 8:07 p.m.
By that time most of those in the announced crowd of 3,910 had left. Those who stayed watched Brady Singer, scheduled to start Game 2, replace Faedo and toss four masterful innings. With Singer making his first relief outing of the season Saturday, O'Sullivan said Jackson Kowar will start Sunday's Game 2. Singer struck out eight of the 14 batters he faced and forced O'Sullivan to make a difficult decision in the top of the ninth with the Gators nursing a 1-0 lead.
Stay with Singer of go to closer Michael Byrne?
O'Sullivan opted for Byrne, who pitched 10 scoreless innings in three games in the Gainesville Regional, picking up two saves and a victory. On his second pitch, Wake Forest's Ben Breazeale hit an opposite-field home run that dropped over the wall just inside the left field foul pole.
"I thought there was a lot of emotional pitches that Brady had to make,'' O'Sullivan said. "We've gone to Michael Byrne the whole year in the ninth inning. That happens. Their kid put a good swing on a pitch. What are you going to do?
"I mean, he earned it, went the opposite way and we still could use both of these guys this weekend. I wouldn't second-guess that decision at all because Michael has been the guy at the end of the game, and quite honestly, we need Brady again this weekend."
Byrne quickly rediscovered his groove and picked up his second victory of the NCAA Tournament, striking out six, walking two and allowing three hits in three innings. He struck out Breazeale with the bases loaded to end the 10th.
The Gators went quietly in their half of the 10th, and after Byrne struck out the final two Wake Forest batters of the 11th to strand the go-ahead run at second base, the Gators finally broke through.
It was not easy, though.
Deacons closer Griffin Roberts walked Jonathan India to start the inning, struck out Dalton Guthrie on a bunt attempt, and then hit the next two batters – JJ Schwarz and Nelson Maldonado – to load the bases with one out.
Colin Peluse replaced Roberts and struck out pinch-hitter Mark Kolozsvary on three pitches for the second out. Up stepped Larson in search of Florida's first hit since the fifth inning.
As he stepped into the batter's box, Larson recalled a statistic O'Sullivan had mentioned a few days earlier: 74 percent of game-winning hits are up the middle. He kept that approach in mind and delivered UF's first walk-off victory of the season at the most opportune time.
"It's definitely a memory, for sure,'' Larson said.
One swing moved the Gators to one win from Omaha.
It was Florida's 18th one-run win of the season, more than any team in the country.
"Another one-run game,'' O'Sullivan said. "We hung in there. Obviously, it was not our best game offensively. [Sunday] is not going to be easy."
Of course not. It never is. But if the Gators win, it won't matter. They can start packing for Omaha.
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