Indiana didn’t need any extra bases on Friday.
On a night when Florida couldn’t put together three straight quality at-bats, its counterparts strung 13 hits together, all at the right times.
The Hoosiers hit 13 singles in a 4-1 win at McKethan Stadium that put an end to the Gators’ (7-8) season-high four-game win streak.
“We as hitters got to do a better job offensively with out approach and stay on the ball better and get on top of the ball,” coach Kevin O’Sullivan said.
While IU scored in three separate innings by getting at least three hits in a row, Florida put together consecutive hits just once and squandered the opportunity.
Shortstop Cody Dent and leadoff hitter Casey Turgeon both singled to right to start the bottom of the third inning with the game tied at 1. Harrison Bader failed to advance them as he popped up a bunt. Left fielder Justin Shafer then loaded the bases with a 12-pitch walk.
Vickash Ramjit, who homered to left in his first at-bat, followed Shafer by striking out swinging. Taylor Gushue flied out to right to end the inning.
“I didn’t get a big hit when we needed it,” Ramjit said. “… So that was probably a changer right there.”
Left-handed starter Joey DeNato kept the Gators off-balance throughout. In 7.1 innings of work, he scattered eight hits, struck out five and allowed just one run.
“He kept his pitches down,” UF second baseman Casey Turgeon said of DeNato. “Executed his pitches. He did a great job, but we need to come out tomorrow with a clear head and put some good swings on some balls.”
The Hoosiers jumped out front early with three straight singles in the top of the first inning to take a 1-0 lead as designated hitter Scott Donley drove in catcher Kyle Schwarber with a hit off of a diving Josh Tobias’ glove at third.
UF starter Jonathon Crawford threw a season-high 108 pitches while striking out five — a team-high on the season.
“He still has not pitched like he’s capable of,” O’Sullivan said. “We’re losing the advantage count early, getting into some fastball counts and falling behind and we’re throwing an awful lot of pitches.”
Schwarber and Sam Travis — the Hoosiers' No. 2 and 3 hitters — combined to go 7-for-9 at the plate with two RBI.
“It’s not just those guys that hurt you,” O’Sullivan said. “Nolden, in the nine-hole, had a very good night. When he starts getting on base, and (leadoff hitter Justin) Cureton got on base tonight. When those things happen, with those other guys coming up, they can do some damage.
Indiana then retook the lead in the top of the fifth with four consecutive one-out singles to go up 3-1. Crawford retired Chad Clark to leadoff the inning with a flyout to right field. He then had nine-hole hitter Will Nolden in an 0-2 hole before eventually allowing him to start the run of singles with a hit up the middle.
After Crawford forced right fielder Will Nolden into a groundout to begin the top of the seventh, he walked Cureton. Corey Stump then relieved Crawford and gave up a single to Schwarber.
Freshman Aaron Rhodes then replaced Stump and gave up singles to first baseman Sam Travis and Donley to allow Nolden to score to make it 4-1.
The Gators are yet to win a Friday night game this season, but Turgeon said the team won’t be deflated for the rest of the weekend.
“We’re going to come out tomorrow and give them our best game,” he said.”
Contact Josh Jurnovoy at jjurnovoy@alligator.org.
Senior Vickash Ramjit runs to third base during Florida’s 8-3 loss to Florida Gulf Coast on Saturday at McKethan Stadium. Ramjit had two hits in Florida's 4-1 loss to Indiana on Friday.
