Austin Langworthy couldn’t have picked a better time to notch his first hit in the SEC Tournament.
Facing Mississippi State reliever Riley Self with the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the eighth inning, Langworthy lined an 87 mph pitch over the outstretched glove of shortstop Ryan Gridley and into left field.
The two-RBI single not only ended the freshman’s 0-for-7 drought in the postseason, it gave Florida its first lead of the contest and allowed the Gators to continue a historic frame that saw 11 runners cross home plate.
The late offensive outburst propelled UF to a 12-3 come-from-behind victory against the Bulldogs, clinching itself a spot in the SEC Tournament semifinals and surviving the bracket’s double-elimination round for a fourth straight year.
“It was a crazy game,” coach Kevin O’Sullivan said in a release. “It was a good lesson to learn for our team. No matter what happens, as long as we have a chance to swing the bats, we get 27 outs to work with and anything can happen.”
Throughout most of the afternoon, Florida (42-15, 21-9 SEC) couldn’t get anything going against MSU starter Cole Gordon.
Gordon, who hadn’t pitched more than four innings in a game all season, kept the Gators scoreless through seven frames with seven strikeouts and only three baserunners allowed.
When the 6-foot-5 redshirt sophomore ran out of gas in the top of the eighth, however, UF’s offense found life.
Florida, which trailed 3-0 at the the start of the inning, recorded six base hits, six walks and one stolen base on the way to tying the SEC Tournament record with 11 runs in a single frame.
Deacon Liput got the scoring started with a single to right field to drive in Christian Hicks. A wild pitch from Self then allowed Mike Rivera to advance home and reduce the Bulldog’s lead to one run.
After Nelson Maldonado went down on strikes for the second out of the inning, Jonathan India tied the game with a bases-loaded walk. Langworthy’s single came next and opened the floodgates from there, bringing in an additional six runs to put the game well out of reach for MSU.
On the mound for Florida, sophomore Jackson Kowar brought his record on the season to 11-0 with four strikeouts and two earned runs allowed in seven innings pitched. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native also held Bulldog first baseman and SEC Player of the Year Brent Rooker hitless, leaving O’Sullivan impressed with his starter after the victory.
“I thought it would be good for (Kowar) to pitch against a good Mississippi State team and the best hitter in the conference, if not the country,” he said. “Not many people hold Rooker hitless, so great job by him today.”
UF will face either Arkansas or Mississippi State in the SEC semifinals at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. LSU and South Carolina will square off in the other semifinal matchup at 1 p.m.
Contact Dylan Dixon at ddixon@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @dylanrdixon.
Austin Langworthy stands in the batter's box during Florida's 2-0 win against Miami on Feb. 25, 2017, at McKethan Stadium.
