Florida’s bats fired up on Tuesday when the No. 10 Gators scattered 22 hits during a midweek game against Stetson.
And in the series-opener against South Carolina, they stayed hot.
Behind 17 hits, three home runs and solid relief pitching, the Gators (26-9, 7-6 Southeastern Conference) toppled the Gamecocks (23-12, 6-7 SEC) 14-3 on Friday at McKethan Stadium.
All 10 Florida batters with a plate appearance recorded a hit, as the Gators posted a .447 batting average.
“Hitting is contagious, sometimes in a good way and sometimes in a bad way,” UF coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “It just seems like things are going our way right now.”
Junior Harrison Bader highlighted the offensive performance, going 3-for-5 at the plate with 4 RBIs.
He opened scoring with a solo home run to left-center field and also tallied an RBI double in the fifth inning and an eighth-inning two-RBI single.
Freshmen JJ Schwarz and Christian Hicks hit UF’s other two home runs.
“Sully is always challenging us,” Bader said. “That is what he does best, and that’s why he is as good of a coach as he is. He’s always challenging the pitchers, the hitters. He gets the absolute most out of his players.”
Senior Bobby Poyner earned the win after tossing three shutout innings in relief for starter Logan Shore.
The lefty entered the game in the top of the fifth after Shore gave up a pair of singles and a walk to load the bases.
Poyner limited the damage to one run — which was credited to Shore’s statline because he was responsible for the runners reaching base — by forcing the first to batters he faced into a double play and a strikeout, respectively.
The Gators then responded with a six-run bottom half of the inning to take a 9-3 lead.
“I knew it was a real turning point in the game,” Poyner said. “I had to jump ahead and throw strikes early.”
Game 2 of the series is Saturday, with first pitch set for 6 p.m.
Follow Jordan McPherson on Twitter @J_McPherson1126
Outfielder Harrison Bader rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run in the first inning of Florida's 14-3 win against South Carolina on April 10 at McKethan Stadium.
