GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Sophomore Buddy Reed delivered a two-out single in the bottom of the ninth to score senior Josh Tobias from second base as No. 5 Florida (5-0) defeated No. 8 Miami (4-2), 4-3, on Friday night at McKethan Stadium. Junior right-hander Taylor Lewis (1-0) picked up his first win as a Gator by stranding a Hurricane on third to complete the eighth and then retired the side in order in the ninth before Reed's heroics.
Tobias was hit by a pitch from freshman Michael Mediavilla (0-1) to start the final frame, was sacrificed to second base on a bunt by sophomore Ryan Larson and came home with the decisive run on Reed's base-hit into left center field with two strikes (photo at right by Tim Casey). The Gators had tied the game in the sixth inning on a two-run single with two down by freshman Mike Rivera and used Reed's game-winning hit for their first walk-off victory since April 27, 2014 (Missouri).
UF had grabbed a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning when freshman Jesse Lepore committed a balk to bring home junior Richie Martin (1-for-3, two runs). Martin had opened with a base-hit up the middle and junior Harrison Bader was hit by a pitch, prompting a pitching change. Lepore took over for redshirt junior Ryan Otero (3.0 IP, 2 H) and a fly ball by freshman JJ Schwarz had advanced Martin to third.
Miami seized a 3-1 lead in the sixth on a passed ball, an RBI single by junior David Thompson (2-for-4) and a wild pitch. Junior Ricky Eusebio led off with a single into left field before senior left-hander Bobby Poyner matched his career high with his seventh strikeout. A double to right field by sophomore Willie Abreu (2-for-4) brought redshirt sophomore Mike Vinson into the contest with a pair of runners in scoring position. After Eusebio came in on a passed ball, Thompson sliced a single through the left side to move the Hurricanes in front. Thompson went to second on a balk, took third on a grounder and scored on a wild pitch by sophomore Kirby Snead.
Rivera countered with a game-tying, two-run single with two down in UF's sixth. Reed (3-for-5) led off with a single and Martin walked before sophomore Cooper Hammond replaced Lepore (2.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R). After the Gators executed a double steal, the Hurricanes' reliever had back-to-back strikeouts. Sophomore A.J. Puk was walked intentionally to fill the bags and Rivera responded with a knock into right field to plate Reed and Martin.
Although sophomore Zack Collins singled with one down in the eighth off of freshman Alex Faedo, he was thrown out at the plate on a textbook relay from Reed-Martin-Rivera on a deep ball into right center field by Abreu. With Abreu advancing to third on the relay home as the potential go-ahead run, Lewis had Thompson fly out to preserve the stalemate.
Postgame Quotes
Head coach Kevin O'Sullivan
On tonight's walk-off victory:
“I told the guys at the end of the game that was a game we needed to play. I don't think we played our best game, but I thought it was a really good effort. I thought Bobby [Poyner] responded really well and pitched extremely well. I thought our pen did just enough, and I thought Taylor Lewis was really good at the end of the game. Obviously, Buddy Reed got a big two-strike hit in the bottom of the ninth and had three hits tonight. Overall, it was a really positive win. There were a lot of good things that happened.”
On Bobby Poyner's pitching performance tonight (5.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R):
“He was sharp and he pitched very well. Obviously, we didn't anticipate not having Logan [Shore], but I don't think it's anything serious. I'm told he is going to be just fine, but that was an outstanding performance by Bobby in a tough situation. He comes in with a runner on second with nobody out and a 3-1 count and puts a zero on the board.”
Senior left-hander Bobby Poyner
On taking over for Logan Shore in the first inning:
“My thing was to try and keep us in the ballgame as long as possible, to try and throw strikes and keep the score close. It's not something that I've done in a while, but I have started before. I just tried to keep the ballgame close and give us a chance.”
On Buddy Reed's walk-off single:
“I was pumped. Anytime you can walk-off, it's a feeling you can't duplicate. Everyone is pumped, and it's good for our team to have it.”
Senior infielder Josh Tobias
On turning a key double play in the seventh:
“I was playing in for the bunt, but my hope was to just get one out since they're both pretty fast runners. He hit it pretty hard, so I stopped it, but it was hit hard enough to get both of them out. That was just extra.”
On Buddy Reed's walk-off single:
“I was going. I saw it hit, and I was going. I was hoping it would drop, but I didn't even look at it to see where it was. I was scoring. Whether he caught it or not, I was going to touch home.”
Sophomore outfielder Buddy Reed
On connecting on the walk-off hit:
“It's a big win for us. It's my first walk-off, so it's good for the team and myself. We battled some adversity in the beginning innings, and I'm just glad we came out on top.”
On going 3-for-5 tonight after struggling last weekend:
“I've always had confidence. It's baseball. It's a game of failure, so you're going to have your ups and your downs. You just have to be consistent, stay with your routine and stay with your plan. Mentality is the most important thing in baseball; it's not really physical. My confidence has stayed the same. You just live with it and keep going.”
Postgame Notes
- Miami redshirt junior left-hander Andrew Suarez was scratched from his start during warmups, while Gator sophomore right-hander Logan Shore came out after nine pitches.
- Junior Bobby Poyner retired the first 11 Hurricanes before yielding a two-out single in the fourth to David Thompson.
- Poyner's seven strikeouts equaled his career best set on April 19, 2014, against Georgia.
- Over 5.1 innings, the southpaw gave up four hits and two runs.
- Sophomore Buddy Reed has three hits in each of the past two games.
- Freshman Mike Rivera doubled his RBI total with a two-run single in the sixth inning.
- Senior Josh Tobias made a couple of tremendous plays at third base after coming in as a defensive replacement.
- Neither team committed any errors tonight and the Hurricanes held a 10-7 advantage in hits.
- Florida has defeated Miami in 18 of the past 22 meetings.
- The Gators collected their second come-from-behind win of the season.
Up Next
The Gators and Hurricanes will meet again tomorrow at 7:30 p.m., with sophomore A.J. Puk (1-0, 1.93) facing junior Thomas Woodrey (1-0, 3.00) in a matchup of left-handers. The game can be heard on the Gator IMG Sports Network with Jeff Cardozo and Steve Russell and Saturday's game will be carried on the SEC Network with Adam Amin and Kyle Peterson. This contest will also be available through participating TV providers through WatchESPN.
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