Logan Shore accomplished a feat no Florida pitcher has done in more than 30 years on Friday night.
The junior ace won his 12th straight decision dating back to a May 14 loss against Auburn last season, tying the school record held by Russ Kibler.
Behind Shore’s seventh win of the year, the No. 3 Gators defeated Arkansas 9-2 at Baum Stadium in Fayetteville, capturing Florida’s first series victory at Baum Stadium since 2000.
“That’s why he’s pitched on Friday nights for us for three years,” UF coach Kevin O’Sullivan said of Shore. “It’s not just the wins you appreciate. It’s the consistency.”
Florida (32-5, 10-4 Southeastern Conference) jumped on Arkansas starting pitcher Keaton McKinney in the first inning.
On McKinney’s third pitch, sophomore Dalton Guthrie ripped a leadoff double down the left-field line. The Sarasota native then scored on junior Buddy Reed’s single up the middle to take a 1-0 lead.
Three innings later, the Razorbacks (21-14, 4-10 SEC) answered back.
On a 1-1 pitch, Michael Bernal turned on a hanging curveball from Shore, sending it into the left-field seats for a solo home run.
Shore had gone 24 innings in SEC play without allowing a homer before the blast.
In the fifth, Florida opened the floodgates for five runs.
Sophomore JJ Schwarz put the Gators ahead 2-1 on an RBI single up the middle with two runners on base. With the bases loaded, freshman Jonathan India added an RBI single before sophomore Mike Rivera drove in two runs with a single to center.
“Some guys just have the ability to hit when it counts,” O’Sullivan said of Rivera.
To cap the hit parade, India scored on Arkansas’ third baseman Carson Shaddy’s throwing error on a ground ball.
Up 6-1, Shore had more than enough run support.
The Coon Rapids, Minnesota, native cruised against the Razorbacks, tossing 6.2 innings while allowing just one run and striking out four.
Florida tacked on two insurance runs in the sixth inning.
Schwarz, with two on again, hammered a bases-clearing double off James Teague to boost UF’s lead to 8-1. Although Schwarz entered Friday hitting .189 in conference play, the Palm Beach Gardens native finished the night 2-for-3 with three RBIs.
“You’re not gonna see many balls hit harder than that,” O’Sullivan said of Schwarz’s sixth-inning double.
Arkansas mustered its last run in the eighth inning on a Cullen Gassaway RBI single before Florida closed out the scoring when India rushed home on a wild pitch in the ninth inning.
The Gators will look to sweep the series on Saturday. First pitch is set for 3:05 p.m. and sophomore Alex Faedo is scheduled to take the mound for UF.
A radio broadcast contributed to this report.
Contact Patrick Pinak at ppinak@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @Pinakk12.
Logan Shore pitches during Florida's 4-3 win over Missouri on March 18, 2016, at McKethan Stadium.
