Before the ball found the back of JJ Schwarz’s glove, Brady Singer was already walking off the field. He knew the grounder he’d induced would end the inning and, presumably, his day on the mound.
When he arrived at the dugout, the sophomore was met by a line of his teammates, each of them giving him a high-five, fist bump or congratulatory pat. After his five innings of work, they were earned.
Singer led the Gators to their second win of the season on Saturday at McKethan Stadium, limiting William and Mary’s offense in UF’s 8-1 win.
“I could’ve pitched with more efficiency,” Singer said, “but at the end of the day, we got the win, and we all played really well.”
Over his five innings, the Tribe amassed 3 hits and one run off of Singer, striking out six times. But he wasn’t the only successful pitcher for the Gators. There was also freshman Austin Langworthy.
Making his college debut on the mound, the freshman from nearby Williston entered the game to a chorus of unusually loud cheers — mostly from his family and friends — to start the sixth inning.
In two-and-two-thirds innings, he gave up three hits, no runs and struck out a pair, muttering something inaudible into his glove after recording the second strikeout. He also picked up a single while serving as his own designated hitter. A two-way player, Langworthy started in left field on Friday before coming out of the bullpen on Saturday.
“I always knew I was gonna be able to hit,” Langworthy said. “The pitching was more the question for me, but I got out there and competed on the mound and just got some outs for us.”
Following Langworthy was Frank Rubio, who threw a total of two pitches and earned one out.
Freshman Andrew Baker finished the game out in the ninth, making a bare-handed throw to earn his first out and forcing a swinging, three-pitch strikeout for the final out of the game.
On offense, meanwhile, the Gators were explosive a day after missing opportunities to produce.
That started at the top of the lineup, where No. 3 hitter Jonathan India was responsible for five of Florida’s runs.
The sophomore drove in three, including a two-run home run — Florida’s first of the season — in the eighth inning. He also scored twice.
“I’m just sticking to my approach,” India said. “Seeing what happens.”
The hitters who sandwich India — Deacon Liput and JJ Schwarz — also produced, with Schwarz smacking three hits and Liput earning two. They also knocked in an RBI apiece.
Senior Ryan Larson, making his first start of the season, was also productive, driving in two runs with a single to left field in the second inning.
Those four aside, Dalton Guthrie, Keenan Bell, Nick Horvath and Langworthy all picked up hits as well.
“It was opening night last night, so we had some jitters,” India said. “But we were relaxed today, and we came out hitting. It was good to see.”
The Gators will conclude their series against the Tribe on Sunday afternoon at 1 hoping to finish off the sweep with sophomore Jackson Kowar on the mound.
“All in all, it was a good night,” coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “It was good to see some of those younger guys get out there and it was good to see some of those guys bounce back from a tough night offensively.”
Contact Ethan Bauer at ebauer@alligator.org or follow him on Twitter @ebaueri
Jonathan India (right) stands on third base during Florida's 5-4 win over the William and Mary Tribe on Friday, Feb. 17, 2017, at McKethan Stadium.
