The applause was louder than usual for Peter Alonso, Florida’s first baseman who hadn’t appeared in a game since fracturing his hand on May 13.
On Friday, he walked up to home plate and hit a home run to left-center field in his first at-bat.
By the time the junior rounded the bases, Florida’s dugout was empty.
“It’s funny how things work like that. The guy has been out for 27 days,” coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “You kind of have to have a little magic this time of year.”
No. 1-seed Florida (48-13) defeated No. 4-seed Bethune-Cookman 9-3 in its first game of the NCAA Regional on Friday, setting up a matchup with UConn on Saturday at 6 p.m. at McKethan Stadium.
Alonso’s return kickstarted UF’s offense — of the junior’s first three at-bats, two were home runs.
“I wanted to be out there, play with my guys, help my team win,” Alonso said. “I’m really glad that I can be back and I can help any way I can.”
Freshman Danny Reyes finished second on the team with two hits and tied Alonso’s three RBIs, including a two-run triple in the third inning that increased the Gators’ lead to 6-0.
Meanwhile, junior Logan Shore (11-0) didn’t have his best day on the mound, giving up three runs and five hits while striking out four batters through six innings. But the right-hander played well enough to limit Bethune Cookman’s offense for most of the game.
The Wildcats (29-26) finished with a .212 batting average, their lowest since May 13.
“I didn’t pitch as well as I could have,” Shore said. “But I think it’s a good stepping stone going into next weekend.”
Alonso led a Florida offense that collected nine hits, its most since UF’s 12-2 win over Mississippi State on May 27, and will look to do the same when Florida faces UConn on Saturday.
“I’m back,” Alonso said, “and it feels good.”
Contact Ian Cohen at icohen@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @icohenb.
Peter Alonso follows through on a swing during Florida's 10-4 loss to Mississippi State on April 9, 2016, at McKethan Stadium.
