"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Cambria; min-height: 14.0px;">
Nolan Fontana finally
brought an end to a rough week at the plate.
"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman;">
The Florida sophomore went 3 for 4 and tied a career high with six
RBIs Saturday to lead No. 4 Florida (23-5, 6-2 Southeastern
Conference) to an 11-2 win over Tennessee (19-8, 2-6 SEC).
"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman;">
Prior to Saturday’s display, Fontana was marred in a 2-for-18
slump, spanning just more than one week and dating back to the
first game of the South Carolina series.
"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman;">
“Baseball is a game of failure,” Fontana said. “You just got to
learn how to deal with it because you’re not going to be perfect
all the time and that’s just the way the game is.”
"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman;">
Fontana got it going for the Gators in the fourth when he hit a
two-out single to right field to score designated hitter Vickash
Ramjit.
"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman;">
Florida tacked on another run that inning on a throwing error by
Tennessee starting pitcher Steven Gruver (3-3, 3.04 ERA), who
overthrew first base on a pickoff move. The errant throw allowed
Zack Powers to easily score from third.
"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman;">
After the Volunteers tied the game at 2-2 in the sixth and chased
Gators lefty Brian Johnson, Fontana struck again, this time with a
two-RBI single in the bottom of the frame to put Florida on top
4-2.
"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman;">
But the sophomore put the game out of reach the following inning
when he capped off his day with a two-out, three-run triple down
the right field line on an off-speed pitch reliever Hunter Daniel
left inside.
"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman;">
“Every time I hit the ball to right field, [a triple] is the first
thing on my mind,” Fontana said.
"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman;">
Led by Fontana’s triple and a two-run home run by left fielder
Daniel Pigott, the Gators plated seven runs in the seventh, tying a
season high for runs scored in an inning. The last time Florida
pulled off the feat was last month against Winthrop, which was also
the last time Fontana recorded six RBIs in a game.
"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman;">
While Florida’s bats came to life for the first time in nearly two
weeks, it was right-hander Anthony DeSclafani who silenced
Tennessee’s bats late.
"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman;">
After the Vols tied the game in the sixth, DeSclafani (4-0, 1.66)
entered from the bullpen and erased Tennessee’s ensuing
momentum.
"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman;">
The righty quickly induced a groundball that second baseman Josh
Adams turned into a nifty double play to get out of the inning. The
junior followed with two more perfect innings.
“I knew I had to come in and get ahead of all the batters … control
the count and get outs,” DeSclafani said. “I knew those were going
to be two big outs.”
"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman;">
They proved to be as big as DeSclafani imagined, as Florida went on
to score nine unanswered runs to clinch the weekend series.
"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman;">
Etc.: The series concludes Sunday at 1 p.m. and
freshman Karsten Whitston (3-0, 2.40) will start for Florida. …
Ramjit, a transfer, got his first career start at Florida. … Mike
Zunino was caught stealing for the first time in six attempts this
year. … Johnson got no decision for the second straight start. …
Announced attendance was 3,762.
Junior shortstop Nolan Fontana drove in the game-winning runs with a two-out triple in the ninth inning of Saturday’s rubber match between No. 1 Florida and No. 8 South Carolina.
