After a
weekend chock-full of extra-base hits and RBIs, No. 5 Florida's
Mike Zunino went for an encore Tuesday night.
The Gators
hot-hitting catcher continued his recent surge, crushing two
belt-high fastballs for homers as UF (35-10, 17-4 Southeastern
Conference) walloped Bethune-Cookman (29-20, 15-0 MEAC) 11-0 in a
midweek contest at McKethan Stadium.
The
sophomore backstop gave the Gators an early lead, knocking a
two-run shot in the first that drilled the left field foul pole.
With two outs, Preston Tucker walked before Zunino ambushed
Wildcats right-hander Rayan Gonzalez on a first-pitch
heater.
"We always
preach to hit the fastball, and I got one to hit and I jumped on
it," he said.
In the
fifth, shortstop Nolan Fontana hit a leadoff triple and later
scored after consecutive infield singles by Bryson Smith and
Tucker. Zunino followed with a three-run shot into the left field
bleachers, his career-high 10th home run of the year. Florida's
catcher also roped a two-run single with the bases loaded in UF's
four-run eighth, giving Zunino seven RBIs on the day.
"Another
great night tonight," coach Kevin O'Sullivan said. "At this point,
he's probably our most valuable player. His work ethic is off the
charts. It's not surprising he's swinging the bat this
good."
In the last
four games, Zunino has knocked 10 hits and plated an astounding 15
runs. The sophomore sports a team-high .390 batting average while
also leading Florida in homers, RBIs and runs scored.
"I'm just
more comfortable," he said. "I'm just trying to see the ball and
square it up."
Zunino's
monster day overshadowed a solid start from junior Alex
Panteliodis.
The Gators
lefty tossed 4.1 scoreless innings and scattered three hits while
matching a season-high five strikeouts.
"Everything
was working," Panteliodis said. "I've had a couple of rough
outings, but I thought tonight I did a really good job."
After poor
performances in back-to-back relief appearances, the left-hander
made his first start since an April 12 midweek loss to Florida
State. Panteliodis' fastball command was sharp, reminiscent of 2010
when he led UF in punch-outs.
"I don't
think we're going to win a championship without him," O'Sullivan
said. "He's certainly not the forgotten guy."
The Gators
manager relieved Panteliodis in the fifth after the junior reached
his pitch limit, and UF's bullpen preserved the shutout tossing 4.2
innings with five strikeouts.
Florida
extended its winning streak to seven games, but more notably, won a
midweek contest for the first time since a 10-0 blanking of
Winthrop on March 23.
