After Thursday’s series-opening loss to LSU, UF coach Kevin O’Sullivan said his team would need a great outing out of starting pitcher Jonathon Crawford to have a chance on Friday.
Six scoreless innings later, O’Sullivan’s wish came true.
“It’s exactly what we needed,” Florida catcher Mike Zunino said. “He definitely rose to the occasion today.”
For six innings, Crawford out-dueled LSU sophomore Kevin Gausman, a former sixth-round Major League Baseball draft pick and one of the nation’s premier pitching prospects. Once he laid the foundation, the bats piled on late for the No. 1 Gators (25-6, 7-4 Southeastern Conference) en route to a 7-0 victory over the No. 12 Tigers (24-7, 7-4 SEC).
It was just the second time in series history Florida has shut out LSU, and the night ended the Tigers’ current seven-game winning streak.
Crawford was a mix of his old self and the new character that has become a regular on the mound. He was wild at times, hitting two batters — including one fastball to clean-up hitter Raph Rhymes’ nose.
He utilized a two-seam fastball that was “diving in on the hands.” The Tigers didn’t get their first runner in scoring position until the fifth inning.
“To have to match one of the best pitchers in the country pitch for pitch, that's not easy to do,” O’Sullivan said. “I gotta believe he grew up an awful lot tonight. He grew up a lot."
But the sophomore from Okeechobee’s outing would have been for naught if Zunino hadn’t cracked Gausman’s lock in the third inning. With an 0-2 count against him, Florida’s junior All-American ripped a two-RBI double to right center, scoring Daniel Pigott and Casey Turgeon. O’Sullivan called it “one of the biggest hits of the year for us as a team.”
The team that had come in 2-4 in its last six games loosened up, and four innings later came the onslaught. Nolan Fontana and Taylor Gushue each ripped RBI hits to send Florida coasting to the finish.
“I'm not going to sugarcoat it, it was a huge win for us. It helped us get pushed in the right direction,” O’Sullivan said.
Before the game, O’Sullivan called a team meeting to address Friday night’s defeat that was lowlighted by a base-running error from Pigott. O’Sullivan reassured Pigott that he would be batting leadoff and starting in center and that mistakes happen. He also warned his squad that this is the kind of juncture that can tear teams apart if they don’t band together.
Crawford got the message and aided by Austin Maddox, Steven Rodriguez and Justin Shafer, the Gators allowed a season-low four hits. With Karsten Whitson returning from injury, Crawford admitted he is fighting to earn more appearances.
“I want to go out there every outing, every weekend,” he said. “That’s all the motivation I need.”
Jonathon Crawford tossed six scoreless innings in the Gators' 7-0 victory against the Tigers Friday night in Gainesville.
