GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 5 Florida used a five-run first inning and the first career complete game from sophomore right-hander Logan Shore (4-2) to collect an 8-1 victory over Alabama and forge a split of Friday's doubleheader at McKethan Stadium. Six different players turned in multiple-hit efforts for the Orange and Blue, while Shore also matched his career high of eight strikeouts. The Gators (22-6/4-4 SEC) and Crimson Tide (14-11/4-4 SEC) will play the rubber game of the series tomorrow at 1 p.m.
After dropping an extra-inning affair in the opener, Florida used seven consecutive hits to grab a 5-0 lead in the first inning against UA junior right-hander Will Carter (1-3). Junior Richie Martin had a one-out single, stole second and moved to third on a base-hit by junior Harrison Bader before scoring on an infield single by senior Josh Tobias (2-for-5). After a base-hit into left field by sophomore Buddy Reed (2-for-5) loaded the bases, freshman JJ Schwarz (2-for-4, two runs)delivered a two-run double and freshmen Mike Rivera (2-for-4) and Jeremy Vasquez (2-for-4) followed with back-to-back RBI singles.
Alabama got on the board in the second on an RBI double by sophomore Will Haynie off of Shore that plated junior Kyle Overstreet (2-for-4), who had led off with a double into right center field. The Gators regained a five-run margin in the third on a two-out single by sophomore Ryan Larson (2-for-4) that drove in Schwarz, who had doubled down the left-field line for his second two-bagger of the night.
Reed roped a two-out RBI single into right field in the fourth stanza to bring home freshman Dalton Guthrie for a 7-1 cushion. With two runners aboard and one down, freshman Zac Rogers came in for Carter (3.1 IP, 10 H, 7 R). A fielder's choice by Tobias advanced Guthrie to third and Reed delivered his second hit of the contest to plate Guthrie. Vasquez launched his first career homer to right field with two down in the fifth inning to increase UF's lead to 8-1.
Postgame Quotes
Head Coach Kevin O'Sullivan
On winning game two of the doubleheader:
“I thought we swung the bats well all day. I thought that we played good defense for 18 innings today. On a positive note, I think that is the best start Logan [Shore] has had all year. We needed an outing like that because we used a lot [8] of our pitchers in the first game. He delivered. Moving forward into tomorrow and next week, I feel really good about where Logan is. We have been waiting for him to have a start like that. He delivered and did exactly what we needed him to do for us, for himself and for our team. We still have a lot of pitchers left for tomorrow. We have A.J. [Puk], Dane [Dunning], who is getting the start for us, and Bobby [Poyner]. At this point, the issue is obviously the pitching. We fell behind and guys were being tentative. We just have to work our way through it because there is no way of getting around it. It's a funny game sometimes. We have plenty of talented pitchers on this staff. We just have to figure out the right guy to put in the right situation and that's my job.”
On losing game one against Alabama in extra innings:
“It was a really good effort by our offense. The guys swung the bats really well all day. It would have been easy for us to hang our heads and not compete, but they did the opposite. They scored in the seventh and eighth innings to give us a chance.”
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Logan Shore
Thoughts on his start:
"I thought it was definitely the best one of the year so far, especially coming after two rocky ones with Tennessee and Ole Miss. We used a lot of guys early in the first game, so I needed to go out there and try to save some of the bullpen for tomorrow and try to win a ballgame. I had to get back to the basics and go out there and compete and try to get us back on top."
On his first career complete game:
"It feels good. It's definitely something to build off of. My off-speed was definitely a strength today, which is a big reason why I was able to keep them off balance, but it feels really good."
Freshman first baseman Jeremy Vasquez
On Logan Shore's performance:
"I know our pitchers have been struggling, but just to see him go out there and compete and show why he was the Friday night guy last year and a Freshman All-American -- it was awesome. It helped our offense a lot. We felt relaxed. It was overall a good game."
Freshman second baseman Dalton Guthrie
On the turnaround between the two games today:
"The first one was tough to lose, but our goal is once you lose one, you have to try to win the series. We knew we had to win this one, and I think we set ourselves up well for tomorrow. We swung the bats well and (Logan) Shore got a good outing, so that was good to see."
Postgame Notes
- Every Gator starter reached base and eight of the nine players had at least one hit.
- Ryan Larson, Buddy Reed, Mike Rivera, JJ Schwarz, Josh Tobias and Jeremy Vasquez each turned in multiple-hit outings.
- Both of Schwarz's hits were doubles, he drove in two runs and scored twice.
- Rivera has at least one RBI in seven straight games.
- Logan Shore tied his career-high of eight strikeouts in going the distance for the first time in his career.
- The Gators turned double plays to end the fifth and eighth innings for the Crimson Tide.
Up Next
The Gators and Crimson Tide will wrap up the series tomorrow at 1 p.m., with Dane Dunning (4-0, 1.59) facing Geoffrey Bramblett (4-1, 3.37) in a matchup of sophomore right-handers. The game can be heard on the Gator IMG Sports Network with Jeff Cardozo and Steve Russell and will be carried on SEC Network+ with Nick Belmonte and Mick Hubert through participating TV providers only through WatchESPN.
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