Last Tuesday, Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan expressed his overriding confidence in pseudo-closer Anthony DeSclafani.
But when the junior struggled in the ninth inning again Sunday, O’Sullivan turned to another hard-throwing righty he has also expressed faith in all year.
Despite entering the most precarious situation of his young career, Austin Maddox escaped a bases-loaded jam behind two defensive gems, securing No. 4 UF a 3-1 win over Mississippi State in Starkville.
In the ninth, the Bulldogs (21-11, 5-7 Southeastern Conference) were down by two runs but loaded the bases on a pair of singles and a pivotal error by DeSclafani.
With one out, the junior had a chance to end the game on a weak comebacker, but DeSclafani turned to start a double play and threw the ball into center field.
Maddox, who wasn’t even warming up, was summoned from the dugout and charged with closing the game for the Gators in front of a raucous crowd of 6,453.
“When we handed the ball to Maddox, he said, ‘I got this thing, coach,’” O’Sullivan said.
Making just the eighth appearance of his career, the sophomore pitched the Gators (26-7, 9-3 SEC) to a series victory thanks to two outstanding defensive plays.
With one out, Kamm Washington, inserted as a defensive replacement in right field when the inning started, made a diving catch and hustled the ball back into the infield.
The very next batter, C.T. Bradford, popped a pitch a mile high into foul territory, but UF third baseman Zack Powers sprinted toward the screen and made a running catch near the dugout to end the game.
“Unbelievable play by Powers there at the end to seal the win,” O’Sullivan said.
Freshman Karsten Whitson made his eighth start of the year for Florida, tossing 5.1 innings with three strikeouts. The right-hander mixed his pitches well and located his sliders and changeups better than he has all season.
“That might have been his best outing of the year,” O’Sullivan said.
With the game tied in the fifth, Whitson showed his developing maturity as he escaped a first-and-third, one-out situation by inducing a double-play groundout to end the frame.
UF broke the 1-1 tie in the seventh on a single by Preston Tucker. The two-out rally started with a base hit from Powers.
After Nolan Fontana walked and Josh Adams hit a dribbler to load the bases, Tucker bounced a single up the middle, plating two runs.
The Gators mustered nine hits on the afternoon after smashing the Bulldogs for 18 hits and runs in Saturday’s blowout victory.
“To come back after losing Friday night and then to win yesterday and not get complacent and try to get the series win was awfully important,” O’Sullivan said. “If you want to win championships in this league, you have to go on the road and take care of business.”
