WHAT HAPPENED: Florida wrapped up its non-conference schedule with a 7-3 win over USF on Tuesday night in Gainesville.
 
Freshman Nick Pogue exceeded expectations in his first start of the season, pitching five shutout innings with just two hits allowed to earn his first win.
 
The Gators' offense did its part as well, jumping out to a 5-0 lead and racking up 10 hits on the night. Brady McConnell went 3-for-4 with a RBI while Cory Acton, Wil Dalton and Jud Fabian each homered in the game.
 
Florida opened the scoring in the third inning on McConnell's RBI double off the left-center field wall. Acton's two-run shot in the fourth made it 3-0.
 
In the fifth, the Gators strung together a few hits and added two more runs on Austin Langworthy's RBI double and a sac fly from Nelson Maldonado.
 
USF notched three runs off Florida's bullpen, but late home runs from Dalton and Fabian provided enough cushion for Ben Specht to finish off the game for his first save of the season.
 
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Nick Pogue – The freshman from Melbourne had a career night in his first start, pitching five shutout innings with just two hits allowed. He's allowed just three earned runs over his last 17 innings, good for a 1.59 earned run average. Pogue's scoreless outing is the first by a Florida starting pitcher in over a month, since April 2 against Florida A&M.
 
STANDOUT STAT: 248 – Nelson Maldonado played in his 248th career game at Florida, fourth-most in UF history. Josh Adams is third all-time with 253 games played; JJ Schwarz holed the record with 266 games played.
 
FROM THE COACH: Head Coach Kevin O'Sullivan – On Nick Pogue's performance: "He's been slowly getting better and better. He pitched really well tonight, really well. I was really pleased and happy for him. We haven't had a game pitched like that in a while. He threw 71 percent strikes, I think 15 of 19 first-pitch strikes, he's tightened up his breaking ball. I think he only ran two three-ball counts the entire outing and I don't think he had a 2-0 count the whole night. He was really good."
 
On the offensive performance: "Cory Acton hit a home run left on left, Jud hit one the other way, which was good to see. Brady McConnell had a great night at the plate again with three hits and Wil ran into the ball as well to put us up four runs. The fourth run is important because then it takes a grand slam to tie it, and especially the fifth run. Kendrick had a good night as well, he was 0-for-4 but lined one up the middle and the second baseman was shaded toward the bag; second at bat he hit a ball to the warning track. The younger guys are hanging in there, it's been a long season for them. I've seen steady progress. It may not be in the wins and loss column like we would hope or we're used to, but at the end of the day it's our job as coaches to coach them and continue to get better. Tonight was a really good game. We played really good defense, pitched well for the most part, and had some really good at bats."
 
UP NEXT: Florida a three-game series against Tennessee starting Friday at 6:30 p.m. Game two is Saturday at 3 p.m. (SEC Network) and the finale is Sunday at 1 p.m.