Reed Delivers a Dose of Early Season Magic as Gators Stay Perfect
Saturday, February 21, 2015 | Baseball, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Who knows where this ends up.
The UF baseball team is only five games into the season, but so far, the pitchers are throwing strikes, the hitters are taking good swings, and the balls are dropping in the right spots.
It happened again Friday night in the first game of a three-game series against rival Miami.
Gators third baseman Josh Tobias, after getting hit by a pitch to lead off the bottom of the ninth, stood at second base with two outs.
One of only two seniors on a young Florida roster, Tobias was in no pain after getting plunked on the arm.
“I didn't even really feel it. It was too cold,” he said.
With the temperature at McKethan Stadium down to the high 30s, sophomore outfielder Buddy Reed stood at the plate with the Gators down to their final strike.
If the Gators failed to score, the game was headed to extra innings. The intrepid souls who remained in the stands, many huddled under blankets to stay warm, had nothing to worry about.
Reed blooped a pitch from Miami reliever Michael Mediavilla toward shallow left-center field over the head of shortstop George Iskenderian.
As Tobias took off for home, the ball found a safe landing spot, and the Gators had a 4-3 walk-off win, their fifth consecutive victory to start the season.
The Gators celebrate after their fifth consecutive win to open the season. (Photo: Tim Casey)
When Tobias touched home and Reed safely rounded first, Florida's dugout emptied to celebrate.
“It was a great win against a quality opponent,” Florida head coach Kevin O'Sullivan said. “I think this type of game will pay dividends down the road. It was an emotional win. You can't create these types of situations in practice.”
More than 10 minutes after his game-winning hit, Reed remained somewhere in the clouds.
“I'm a little excited. It's a big win for us,'' Reed said. “My first walk-off. We battled some adversity in the beginning innings. It's a big one.”
Friday's game began auspiciously for both clubs.
Miami scratched starter Andrew Suarez prior to the game when he suffered an apparent oblique strain. That forced the Gators to do a crash course on Hurricanes emergency starter Ryan Otero, who they didn't know much about.
Ten pitches into his second start of the season, Florida right-hander Logan Shore had to leave due to a hip flexor that tightened up on him in the chilly weather. O'Sullivan said afterward that he doesn't think it's anything serious, but he didn't want to take any chances.
So with Shore gone, O'Sullivan called on left-hander Bobby Poyner, the Gators' other senior. All Poyner did was retire the first 11 batters he faced, taking a 1-0 lead into the top of the sixth.
Miami chased Poyner in the inning and took a 3-1 lead, with one run scoring on a passed ball by Florida catcher Michael Rivera, and another run scoring on a wild pitch by reliever Kirby Snead.
Rivera quickly rebounded with a game-tying, two-run, two-out single in the bottom of the frame. Florida had opportunities in the seventh and eighth innings to push the go-ahead run home but was unable to cash in until Reed's walk-off single in the ninth.
It wasn't a perfect win, but one that O'Sullivan seemed impressed by as he warmed up in the team's offices following the game.
“I thought our team needed a game like this,'' O'Sullivan said. “We needed to be put in a tougher situation. It's a good experience for our young players.”
The Gators overcame Shore's early exit with a strong outing by Poyner. They got a great defensive play by Tobias -- he made a diving stab on a sharp grounder by Miami's Carl Chester to start an inning-ending double play in the seventh. In the eighth Florida turned in another defensive gem when Reed cut off a double by Willie Abrea that appeared on the way to the wall.
Reed made a perfect relay throw to shortstop Richie Martin, who then threw a strike to Rivera to cut down Zack Collins at the plate in a 3-3 game.
It was that kind of night for the Gators. It's been that kind of season a week in.
“Literally everybody contributed,'' said Poyner, who gave up four hits, two runs and tied a career high with seven strikeouts in 5 ⅓ innings. “I was pumped [on Reed's hit]. Anytime you can walk-off on somebody that's a feeling you can't replicate. It was good for our team to have that feeling.”
Reed said O'Sullivan had only one piece of advice before he went to the plate: “Win the game for us.”
Reed delivered.
“I honestly didn't think I got enough of it,'' he said.
Who knows where this is headed. The Gators are only five games into a 56-game regular season.
They have enjoyed it so far.
“We've just got to keep piling on,'' Tobias said.
