Junior right-hander Brady Singer improved to 11-1 with a victory over Jacksonville on Saturday night in the Gainesville Regional. (Photo: Matt Stamey/UAA Communications)
Singer Returns in Sharp Form to Defeat Jacksonville
Sunday, June 3, 2018 | Baseball
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – If you didn't know Brady Singer was making his first start since May 11 due to a hamstring injury, you wouldn't have guessed it by his performance Saturday night against Jacksonville.
Behind Singer's mastery, No. 1 national seed Florida defeated Jacksonville 3-2 to remain in the winners bracket of the Gainesville Regional. The Gators (44-17) will play at 6 p.m. Sunday against the winner of the 1 p.m. elimination game between the Dolphins and Florida Atlantic. UF needs just one more win to advance to next weekend's super regional round.
Singer (11-1), the Gators' junior ace, was calm and in control against the Dolphins (40-20), throwing seven innings, conceding just five hits and two runs and striking out six.
Singer said he noticed a little rust when he took the mound for the first time in 22 days.
"At the beginning, it felt kind of weird, but I felt like I settled in pretty good," he said.
UF coach Kevin O'Sullivan had high praise for his soon-to-be first-round draft pick.
"I thought he was very efficient," he said. "I think he kept his temperament and emotions in check. He's a fierce competitor, and I thought he was really, really good tonight."
The ball found him right away, with Singer involved in all three putouts in the first inning, testing his hamstring.
He cruised through the first four innings by allowing just two hits. Only one Dolphin made it to second base.
Then came the fifth inning, which proved to be Singer's biggest obstacle. He hit John Cassala to lead off the inning. With one out, Dolphins catcher Franco Guardascione ripped a ground ball past Jonathan India at third base for a double. After a meeting from O'Sullivan, Singer gave up an RBI single to Connor Stephens, the nine-hole hitter.
"I think I just got into some predictable counts in fastball," he said. "I left some balls up. I was kind of battling putting balls all in the zone."
Singer escaped further damage by making an alert, and ultimately game-deciding, defensive play. With runners on the corners and one out, Jacksonville leadoff batter Ruben Someillan tried to lay down a safety squeeze bunt to avoid a double play and tie the game at 2-2.
Said JU coach Chris Hayes: "I know Singer's going to really pound the bottom of the zone trying to get a double-play ball. I have great faith in [Someillan's] ability to execute. We practice that. We've done a good job in our execution throughout the year."
This time, his bunt plopped right in front of Singer, who collected the ball and tagged Guardascione at the plate for the second out. Florida's 2-1 lead remained intact.
"It surprised me when I saw him show bunt," Singer said. "I knew it was a squeeze so the runner was taking off, so I tried to get it as quick as I can. I almost flipped it. Then I decided to hang onto it."
Chris Lehane grounded to junior second baseman Blake Reese for the final out.
In the sixth inning, Singer struck out the side looking.
After giving up a home run to Dolphins right fielder Cory Garrastazu and hitting a batter, he escaped the seventh inning with a 6-4-3 double play. O'Sullivan elected not to bring Singer out for the eighth after 99 pitches through seven.
"It was humid," he said. "It's the first time he's pitched in three weeks, and I knew he was tired. He had done his job. I certainly wasn't going to let him back out there for the eighth."
Enter junior Michael Byrne, UF's record-holder for career saves. After surrendering a leadoff triple to Someillan, Byrne put out the fire by retiring the heart of the Dolphins' order.
Byrne set down Jacksonville in order in the ninth to pick up his 14th save of the year and the 33rd of his career.
The Gators needed Singer's dominant outing, with the Dolphins' Spencer Stockton (8-6) turning in a gem as well. Stockton limited Florida to five hits in seven innings. The only problem was three of them left the park.
India and sophomore right fielder Wil Dalton blasted back-to-back no-doubters in the fourth, while junior catcher Jonah Girand lined the eventual game-winner into the left-field bleachers in the seventh.
Garrastazu kept the game close and set the stage for the thrilling finish. He leapt at the right-center field wall to rob Florida sophomore Austin Langworthy of a home run in the top of the sixth and hit a home run of his own off the scoreboard in the seventh to cut the margin to 3-2.
It wasn't a pretty win, but it doesn't need to be in the NCAA Tournament. The tried-and-true formula of dominant starting pitching still wins games in the postseason.
Especially when that guy is Brady Singer.
Behind Singer's mastery, No. 1 national seed Florida defeated Jacksonville 3-2 to remain in the winners bracket of the Gainesville Regional. The Gators (44-17) will play at 6 p.m. Sunday against the winner of the 1 p.m. elimination game between the Dolphins and Florida Atlantic. UF needs just one more win to advance to next weekend's super regional round.
Singer (11-1), the Gators' junior ace, was calm and in control against the Dolphins (40-20), throwing seven innings, conceding just five hits and two runs and striking out six.
Singer said he noticed a little rust when he took the mound for the first time in 22 days.
"At the beginning, it felt kind of weird, but I felt like I settled in pretty good," he said.
UF coach Kevin O'Sullivan had high praise for his soon-to-be first-round draft pick.
"I thought he was very efficient," he said. "I think he kept his temperament and emotions in check. He's a fierce competitor, and I thought he was really, really good tonight."
The ball found him right away, with Singer involved in all three putouts in the first inning, testing his hamstring.
He cruised through the first four innings by allowing just two hits. Only one Dolphin made it to second base.
Then came the fifth inning, which proved to be Singer's biggest obstacle. He hit John Cassala to lead off the inning. With one out, Dolphins catcher Franco Guardascione ripped a ground ball past Jonathan India at third base for a double. After a meeting from O'Sullivan, Singer gave up an RBI single to Connor Stephens, the nine-hole hitter.
"I think I just got into some predictable counts in fastball," he said. "I left some balls up. I was kind of battling putting balls all in the zone."
Singer escaped further damage by making an alert, and ultimately game-deciding, defensive play. With runners on the corners and one out, Jacksonville leadoff batter Ruben Someillan tried to lay down a safety squeeze bunt to avoid a double play and tie the game at 2-2.
Said JU coach Chris Hayes: "I know Singer's going to really pound the bottom of the zone trying to get a double-play ball. I have great faith in [Someillan's] ability to execute. We practice that. We've done a good job in our execution throughout the year."
This time, his bunt plopped right in front of Singer, who collected the ball and tagged Guardascione at the plate for the second out. Florida's 2-1 lead remained intact.
"It surprised me when I saw him show bunt," Singer said. "I knew it was a squeeze so the runner was taking off, so I tried to get it as quick as I can. I almost flipped it. Then I decided to hang onto it."
Chris Lehane grounded to junior second baseman Blake Reese for the final out.
In the sixth inning, Singer struck out the side looking.
After giving up a home run to Dolphins right fielder Cory Garrastazu and hitting a batter, he escaped the seventh inning with a 6-4-3 double play. O'Sullivan elected not to bring Singer out for the eighth after 99 pitches through seven.
"It was humid," he said. "It's the first time he's pitched in three weeks, and I knew he was tired. He had done his job. I certainly wasn't going to let him back out there for the eighth."
Enter junior Michael Byrne, UF's record-holder for career saves. After surrendering a leadoff triple to Someillan, Byrne put out the fire by retiring the heart of the Dolphins' order.
Byrne set down Jacksonville in order in the ninth to pick up his 14th save of the year and the 33rd of his career.
The Gators needed Singer's dominant outing, with the Dolphins' Spencer Stockton (8-6) turning in a gem as well. Stockton limited Florida to five hits in seven innings. The only problem was three of them left the park.
India and sophomore right fielder Wil Dalton blasted back-to-back no-doubters in the fourth, while junior catcher Jonah Girand lined the eventual game-winner into the left-field bleachers in the seventh.
Garrastazu kept the game close and set the stage for the thrilling finish. He leapt at the right-center field wall to rob Florida sophomore Austin Langworthy of a home run in the top of the sixth and hit a home run of his own off the scoreboard in the seventh to cut the margin to 3-2.
It wasn't a pretty win, but it doesn't need to be in the NCAA Tournament. The tried-and-true formula of dominant starting pitching still wins games in the postseason.
Especially when that guy is Brady Singer.
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
OF/LHP
/ Baseball
INF/OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballMonday, June 01
Monday, June 01
Sunday, May 31
Sunday, May 31
