In a game where one swing can decide a game, Florida had two carry them to a Game 1 victory in Saturday’s doubleheader against No. 4 LSU.
Justin Shafer sent an Aaron Nola offering, the ace’s 116th pitch of the day, into the left-field bleachers for a walk-off home run in a 2-1 victory for the Gators against the Tigers. Florida rushed out the third-base dugout to meet the junior left fielder at home following his first home run of 2014. Freshman John Sternagel, the next batter, danced as if the Gators won the College World Series.
The homer set the tone for Game 2, where Florida (18-9, 5-3 Southeastern Conference) defeated LSU (20-7-1, 3-4-1 SEC) 6-2 to clinch its second conference series this season and perhaps ensure a spot in the top-25 for the first time in four weeks.
“It was perfect. Two outs. Bottom of the ninth,” Taylor Gushue said. “Going to extras on a double-header, it’s like ‘Thank you Shafer. Thank you so much.’”
Rain drowned any chance for the Gators and Tigers to play Friday night. A torrential downpour Saturday morning pushed the start of the series opener to 4 p.m. Game 2 began three hours and 17 minutes later.
Saturday marked the first doubleheader since the SEC Tournament in 2011 when the Gators had to play two games against the Georgia Bulldogs due to the tournament’s format.
“The weather is what it is. I thought they were focused,” Gators coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “Often times when a game gets cancelled Friday night and a game gets pushed back, players can tend to lose concentration and focus. I thought we were focused for 18 innings and that’s what you need to do against a team like LSU.”
With Nola starting the series opener, hits were few and far between for Florida. The junior All-American had three of his five strikeouts come on knee-buckling curveballs that froze UF batters. He tossed his second-straight complete game against Florida having shutout the Eastern Division opponent last May in Baton Rouge, La.
UF sophomore right-hander Eric Hanhold matched his decorated counterpart with a career-high 7.1 innings and 100 pitches. He retired eight-straight batters between the fourth and sixth innings before Connor Hale reached on an infield single that bounced off Hanhold’s glove.
Sophomore left-hander Danny Young pitched an inning in relief before Aaron Rhodes earned the win facing two batters in the ninth. Florida pitchers used two inning-ending double plays to end LSU’s scoring threats in game 1.
Freshman Logan Shore had a career-best start as well cruising through 8.2 innings to earn his second collegiate victory. He sat down 14-straight before the Tigers plated two runs on groundouts to Gators shortstop Richie Martin after leading off the eighth with a single and a double.
“You just get into a rhythm where it seems like everybody is hitting the ball at somebody,” Shore said about his start.
Florida supplied Shore with its highest run output in nine games when it beat Illinois State 13-5 on March 12. The Gators scored three runs in the fifth and the sixth innings off of LSU left-hander Jared Poche’.
Freshman Peter Alonso drove in two on a groundball that LSU second baseman Kramer Robertson couldn’t field cleanly with the bases loaded. His throw, wide of first baseman Connor Hale, scored Shafer. Ryan Larson added the third run a batter later on a sacrifice fly to center field.
Gushue, who started at designated hitter for the nightcap, broke the game open on a sixth inning no doubt three-run home run to left field that would’ve reached the O’Connell Center had it not hit a tree.
Shafer will start for Florida on Sunday for the 1 p.m. finale with a series sweep on the line. He tossed four scoreless innings in Florida’s win against No. 1 Florida State on Tuesday.
“Our pitching is so good that we only need a couple runs a game to win. When we get more it’s really nice, and we get really comfortable and we can start playing a little looser,” Gushue said. “It’s really all about our pitching.”
Follow Adam Pincus on Twitter @adamDpincus
Justin Shafer bats during Florida’s 4-0 win against Maryland on Feb. 14 at McKethan Stadium.
