The last time Jonathan India was held without a hit in a game, “Black Panther” was enjoying its fourth straight week in the No.-1 spot at the box office. Since then, the Gators third baseman has been collecting hits with a tenacity that would make T’Challa proud.
When the junior from Coral Springs, Florida, looped a single into left field in the top of the fourth inning Tuesday night against No. 10 FSU, he extended his hitting streak to 20 games, nine shy of the all-time school record.
Besides furthering his own personal record, India also helped spark a three-run inning during which Florida took a lead it would not give up in its 6-3 win over the Seminoles in Tallahassee. The win gave the Gators (29-6, 9-3 SEC) their eighth consecutive victory over their in-state rivals.
While India helped further his case for a regular-season batting title, a trio of other Gators also made a difference on Tuesday.
Austin Langworthy, LF: The former leadoff man for UF has found a groove since being moved down in the lineup. Coming into the contest on a six-game hitting streak, Langworthy contributed two hits in four at-bats. His first base knock of the night — a single into left-center field — allowed right fielder Wil Dalton to score Florida’s go-ahead run in the top of the fourth inning. He lined a double into deep left-center in the sixth to score Dalton once again to push UF’s lead to three.
JJ Schwarz, C: Florida’s captain entered the season with a good shot at pacing the team in home runs. He belted 12 dingers last season to lead the Gators, with India and designated hitter Nelson Maldonado tying for second with six apiece. With the emergence of India and Dalton’s bats this year, some of the pressure looks to have been alleviated after launching his eighth of the year Tuesday night off a 93-mph fastball. As his moonshot crashed off the FSU scoreboard in left field in the eighth inning, Schwarz rounded the bases without fanfare or celebration as he retook the team lead in RBIs (32). He also plated a run off a sixth-inning single back up the middle.
Michael Byrne, RHP: Byrne has been nearly untouchable this season. His 1.1 innings of work against FSU on Tuesday included three strikeouts and no walks issued. Florida’s all-time saves leader added one more to that tally to notch his eighth of the season and the 27th of his career. He has allowed a run to score just twice in his 17 appearances this season, compiling a 0.62 ERA along the way.
Follow Morgan McMullen on Twitter @MorganMcMuffin and contact him at mmcmullen@alligator.org.
Left fielder Austin Langworthy pushed his batting average to .304 with a 2-for-4 performance against FSU Tuesday night.
