GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Sophomore right-hander Dane Dunning fired five no-hit innings and junior right-hander Taylor Lewis recorded the final four outs as No. 5 Florida edged No. 8 Miami, 2-1, on Sunday afternoon at McKethan Stadium. With the series triumph in today's rubber game, the Gators have now claimed 19 of the past 24 meetings with the Hurricanes and have captured five of the last six regular-season series between the Sunshine State rivals.
Over a career-high five innings, Dunning (2-0) did not allow any hits, gave up one unearned run, totaled four strikeouts and issued three walks. Junior lefty Danny Young (1.2 IP) set the down the first five batters he faced before yielding a two-out single to Lopez in the seventh inning for the visitors' first hit. Sophomore right-hander Shaun Anderson had sophomore Johnny Ruiz ground out to keep the Orange and Blue in front. Anderson struck out the first two Hurricanes in the eighth before sophomore Zack Collins greeted sophomore southpaw Kirby Snead with a base-hit into right field. Lewis then jammed junior David Thompson on a pop-up to preserve the lead.
With the Hurricanes down to their final two outs, Iskenderian legged out an infield single. A grounder by senior Garrett Kennedy moved his teammate into position with the potential tying run before Lewis had Lopez fly out to right field to complete the contest and collect his first save as a Gator (Photo by Tim Casey at right).
Miami broke the ice in the second inning, when a passed ball with the bases loaded scored Iskenderian. Dunning retired the first five batters of the game before issuing a walk to Iskendrian, who then stole second base. Kennedy drew a walk and the Hurricanes had a pair of runners in scoring position on a wild pitch before Lopez earned a free pass. Iskenderian scooted home on a passed ball before Dunning had Ruiz ground out.
Gator sophomore Buddy Reed tied the game in the third with a two-out RBI single off of junior Enrique Sosa (1-1). Freshman Christian Hicks drew a leadoff walk and advanced around the bases on ground balls by freshmen Logan Browning and Dalton Guthrie.
Junior Harrison Bader moved the Gators in front, 2-1, by launching a solo homer in the fourth inning over the left-field bleachers. The Bronxville, N.Y., native leads the SEC in homers (four) and RBI (15).
Florida had runners on the corners with one down in the sixth after back-to-back singles by freshman JJ Schwarz and sophomore A.J. Puk (2-for-3). However, Sosa escaped the jam by inducing a 5-4-3 double play grounder by freshman Mike Rivera. Sosa allowed seven hits and two runs over six innings of work for UM.
Postgame Quotes
Head Coach Kevin O'Sullivan
On winning the series vs. Miami:
“First of all, compliment Miami. They played really well this weekend. There were two one-run games Friday and Sunday, and they flat out beat us yesterday. I thought that pitching on both sides was outstanding. I thought Dane [Dunning] held it together well. I know this is going to sound odd, but I've seen him better. Once he gets his feet on the ground and throws the way that I know he's capable of, he's going to be even better than he was today. I thought it was a very big step forward for him and a big game. He threw the ball well.”
“I thought our relief pitching was outstanding. Danny Young did exactly what he needed to do, it was great to get Shaun [Anderson] out there, he was sharp, and Kirby Snead came in and threw strikes against their best hitter, who hit the ball hard, and Taylor Lewis was nails at the end. We left some guys stranded and had some opportunities like a man on first and third with one out trying to elevate the ball, but credit their pitcher. He made a good pitch to Mike Rivera, but I thought Mike had a great at-bat. I thought Richie [Martin] put a good swing on the ball when he hit it to right [field], so we had some opportunities. We certainly had good enough at-bats and that's what we are pleased about. A different lineup today with starting five freshmen, but I am really pleased with how they played. They all held it together and I think they are a mature group. Moving forward, this is a big weekend for us, but credit Miami because they played really well this weekend and have a really good club.”
Junior outfielder Harrison Bader
On hitting his fourth homer of the season, which proved to be the decisive run:
“It felt good. I found myself in a lot of two-strike counts. It's kind of how the game goes sometimes. You can never lose that battling aspect at the plate. You're not out until you get three strikes, so I was just trying to put a good swing on the ball, and I was lucky to get one out.”
On the pitching today:
“I think the game really revolves around your starting pitcher. AJ [Puk] had a tough game yesterday, and it happens. When you look at the flipside of that, he swung the bat incredibly well today. Dane [Dunning] too, working off yesterday. Even though he had a little shaky start in the second inning, he had no hits through five (innings), pounded the zone, and did exactly what we asked from him. He did his job.”
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Dane Dunning
On the second-inning jam:
“I was good running through the first two batters and I got the first outs. Once I got to the third batter, I just started scattering balls and the game was speeding up on me a little bit. I had to take my time and slow things down, and I got through it so that's all that matters. It's just a mental adjustment, that's all.”
On not allowing any hits in five innings today:
“I didn't realize it until I got out of the game. Other than that, when I was on the mound, I was locked in. I didn't care if I gave up a hit or anything, I was trying to help my team out and not give up any runs.”
Junior right-handed pitcher Taylor Lewis
On coming in to face the middle of Miami's batting order:
“It was really challenging. I just try to come in and throw strikes and let my defense work. I've got one of the best defenses in the nation for sure, and I try to keep them alive and not back on their heels.”
On building confidence from this big series win:
“To tell you the truth, I'm the same all the time. I try to pitch against them like I would pitch against other teams. I try to go out there and throw strikes every time.”
Postgame Notes
- This afternoon's crowd of 4,734 fans pushed the series total to 14,476 – fourth-best at McKethan Stadium in school history.
- Sophomore A.J. Puk had his second double of the season for the Gators' first hit in the second inning.
- Puk was 2-for-3 to pace Florida's offense.
- Sophomore Shaun Anderson struck out two of the three Hurricanes he faced.
- Sophomore Buddy Reed led the Gators with a .417 (5-for-12) batting average, highlighted by a walk-off single on Friday night.
- Junior Taylor Lewis picked up the win in the series opener and collected the save in the series finale.
Series History:
- The Gators have taken 19 of the last 24 meetings with the Hurricanes, as well as five of the last six regular-season series (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015).
- Kevin O'Sullivan is 20-10 (.667) against Miami, including 13-5 (.722) at McKethan Stadium.
Up Next
The Gators will face Florida Atlantic (6-1/C-USA) in Jupiter, Fla., on Tuesday at Roger Dean Stadium. The game can be heard on the Gator IMG Sports Network with Jeff Cardozo and Steve Russell.
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