WHAT HAPPENED: The Gators broke open their 16-9 win over No. 14 LSU with a six-run second inning, and they just kept the momentum rolling en route to their highest run total in Southeastern Conference play this year.
Florida amassed its 16 runs – its highest total against the Tigers since a 19-3 rout in Baton Rouge, way back on May 11, 2007 – on 20 hits, including a quartet of home runs and four doubles. Eight of the nine Gators starters recorded a hit, six of them posted multi-hit performances, six drove in runs, and freshman
Jud Fabian, the lone hitless starter, reached base with a walk and notched a sacrifice fly to drive in the game's first run.
The Gators' massive second inning went like this:
Cory Acton leadoff walk;
Wil Dalton single to left;
Jacob Young bunt single; Fabian sacrifice fly;
Brady Smith two-run double. Following a strikeout,
Austin Langworthy plated a run with a soft single to right,
Jordan Butler laced a double into the left field corner, and
Kendrick Calilao drove in two more off a bloop single.
After adding another run in the third, Acton smacked his first career home run – a three-run shot to right center – and made it 10-0 midway through the fourth. Sophomore
Brady McConnell's three-run blast in the fifth – his ninth home run of the year – put the Gators up 13-0.
Two of the Gators' final three runs came via solo home runs from Smith and Langworthy.
Starting pitcher
Tommy Mace tied his career high for strikeouts (nine) and took the win, improving to 7-3 on the year. The sophomore threw seven complete innings, allowing four runs on 10 hits and two walks.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Brady Smith came in with a .215 batting average, five extra-base hits, 10 RBI, and zero games with more than two hits. The Niceville, Fla., native had hits in each of his first three plate appearances, which included his two-run double in the second and RBI single in the third. Smith followed it up with a solo bomb over the 405-foot marker in center field to punctuate Florida's victory in the eighth.
Smith finished a perfect 4-for-4 with the aforementioned home run, double, walk, four RBI, and three runs scored. His hits, runs and RBI were all career highs.
FROM THE COACH: Head Coach Kevin O'Sullivan on tonight's game… "Tommy (Mace) pitched really well; he pitched seven full innings – that's not easy to do here. Sometimes you lose your concentration when you have a big lead like that, but he threw the ball really well. We needed him to do that tonight.
"Offensively, this was one of the better games we've had all year long. (Austin) Langworthy saw the ball really, really well.
Brady McConnell's first at-bat, first pitch of the game set the tone there. (Jordan) Butler got three more hits,
Cory Acton hit his first home run,
Wil Dalton had a really good approach …
Jacob Young had two really good bunts down the third base line, and
Brady Smith, that was the best game he's had all year long. We're starting to come around.
"I don't think the box score indicates how the game went. We're trying to save some arms for the next couple games."
UP NEXT: Florida chases its sixth win in seven games Friday night on SEC Network. First pitch is set for 8 p.m. ET.
