Mr. June: Gators starter Logan Shore stamps his place in school history at College World Series
Saturday, June 20, 2015 | Baseball, Scott Carter
OMAHA, Neb. -- Logan Shore wasn't worried even if Florida fans on social media seemed a bit anxious after Virginia scored a run in the first inning Friday.
Shore was far removed from that vortex as he worked on the mound on a sunny afternoon at TD Ameritrade Park.
Virginia leadoff hitter Adam Haseley reached on an infield single, and after shortstop Daniel Pinero sacrificed him to second, Haseley scored on a single up the middle by Matt Thaiss to put the Cavaliers ahead three batters into the game.
Shore buckled down and retired the next two hitters to end the inning.
"The first inning I thought I made some good pitches,'' Shore said. "They just did a good job and put a couple of balls into play that found a hole. I really didn't think about that run too much."
Making his fifth start of the postseason, Shore settled in and didn't allow another Virginia runner to reach third until the seventh inning.
By that time the Gators had a comfortable lead in their 10-5 victory.
Shore won his fifth consecutive postseason start (5-0, 2.43 ERA) and once again showed why he is considered Florida's ace. The sophomore right-hander became the first UF pitcher to win two games in a College World Series and won his 11th game, the most since Hudson Randall won 11 in 2011.
Shore (29 2/3 IP, 27 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 5 BB, 24 SO) has been money in the postseason, twice staving off elimination with stellar outings. He defeated Auburn in the SEC Tournament after the Gators lost their opener to Arkansas.
"He's very, very consistent,'' Gators head coach Kevin O'Sullivan said. "He's finally getting some run support. He wasn't getting any run support on Friday nights. You look back, and we're 0-1 in five of the 10 [SEC] weekend series.
"A lot of that had to do not with because he didn't pitch well, but because we hadn't scored any runs for him. We're giving him some run support so he can get a chance to breathe and every pitch isn't a nail-biter. He's being able to relax and settle into a game."
If the Gators advance to the CWS championship series with a victory tonight against Virginia, Shore is likely to start Game 3 if necessary on Wednesday.
If Friday's outing was his final appearance of the season, Shore will enter his junior season ranked among the top returning pitchers in the country. He's won 18 games the past two seasons.
Shore said he used the same approach Friday that he did a month ago in his victory over Auburn. In a win-or-lose situation, you limit the damage and give your offense a chance.
The plan worked to perfection as Florida scored four runs in the third and five in the sixth.
"I've got to credit a lot to my offense and defense,'' he said. "Every time I go out there, they put up 10 runs. And they're making great plays behind me. [Josh] Tobias had a great play at third. Richie [Martin] is making plays, [Dalton] Guthrie is making plays -- I mean everybody is making plays, everybody is contributing."
That list includes Shore. In a big way.
