A rain-soaked Saturday caused the No. 7 Florida baseball team and Winthrop to compete in a doubleheader on Sunday at Alfred A. McKethan Stadium.
The Gators (9-4) completed the sweep of the Eagles (3-6) behind an offensive explosion of 33 runs off 31 hits.
Florida trounces Winthrop in Game 1
UF scored 25 runs in innings four through six to lead it to a 28-5 victory over the Eagles in Game 1 of Sunday's doubleheader.
A season-high mark in runs was highlighted by three grand slams from three different Florida players.
Freshman first baseman Kendrick Calilao hit the first one in the bottom of the fifth to give the Gators a 15-2 lead. Calilao went 2 for 5 on the day including a two-RBI single in the bottom of the fourth inning. He leads all Florida hitters with 16 RBIs so far this season.
Fellow freshman Jacob Young had six RBIs in Game 1, and he notched Florida's second grand slam of the game over the left-field wall in the sixth.
"(Young's) an offensive threat," coach Kevin O'Sullivan said in a release. "We’re kind of trying to figure out where to put him…he’s just too valuable offensively to have him over there [in the dugout]. He’s certainly made the most of his opportunity to this point.”
Junior catcher Santino Miozzi put Florida up 28-2 later in the sixth with his own grand slam.
On the mound, sophomore Tommy Mace picked up his third win in three outings on Sunday, pitching five innings and giving up just one earned run on three hits. He struck out six batters and gave up just one walk.
Winthrop's Zach Peek, along with the rest of its pitching staff, had a rough afternoon.
Peek only went 3.1 innings, gave up 11 hits and 10 earned runs in his first loss of the season, upping his ERA to above 10.
The Eagles' bullpen gave up seven earned runs on 12 hits.
Winthrop's sloppiness gives UF final advantage in Game 2
Florida capitalized off of Winthrop's four errors to edge the Eagles 5-3 in Game 2 on Sunday.
The Gators did most of their damage offensively in the second inning, scoring four runs on three hits.
Freshman third baseman Cory Acton knocked an RBI single to give UF its first run of the game. Later in the inning, sophomore catcher Brady Smith tied the game at two when he hit a sac fly to center, scoring senior designated hitter Nelson Maldonado.
Sophomore shortstop Brady McConnell helped get the Gators their third and fourth runs of the inning, turning a bunt into a single. A throwing error by Eagles third baseman Brandon Fite allowed both Acton and designated hitter Jordan Butler to score, giving Florida a 4-2 lead.
Like Mace, Gators sophomore right hander Jack Leftwich won his third game of the year after pitching six innings, giving up two runs on four hits. He struck out five and walked only one.
Freshman Nolan Crisp was sent in to close out the game in the ninth. He did just that, picking up his sixth save of the season.
Follow Evan Lepak on Twitter @evanmplepak and contact him at elepak@alligator.org.
Gators sophomore right hander Jack Leftwich won his third game of the year after pitching six innings Sunday afternoon against Winthrop. He gave up two runs on four hits, struck out five and walked only one.
