After a leadoff walk to third baseman Jonathan India started the sixth inning in College Station, Texas, UF right fielder Wil Dalton stepped into the batter’s box.
Both starting pitchers had been nearly untouchable on the warm, sunny day. Dalton had the only hit for the Gators heading into the frame.
Perhaps his next swing was out of frustration over the lack of offensive help from his team. Maybe it was a genuine surprise to Dalton. Either way, on the first pitch of his at-bat, the force from Dalton’s swing flung the bat out of his hands and toward the visiting dugout. He didn’t pay attention to the ball he’d dribbled back to pitcher John Doxakis until the Texas A&M left-hander had thrown it back to second base.
But on a day where everything seemed to bounce Florida’s way, even an aluminum projectile aimed at the Gators’ dugout and an inattentive baserunner worked out. Doxakis’ throw to second bounced well short of its target, allowing India to reach safely. Dalton, realizing the ball was in play after the errant throw, had time to beat out the relay from second.
The potential double play that would’ve erased both runners and kept the game manageable for the Aggies (33-14, 11-12 SEC) only exacerbated the mental anguish for the home team as the Gators beat Texas A&M 6-1 in no small part due to the error. After Dalton reached, three consecutive singles and a sacrifice fly turned a small 1-0 lead into a seemingly insurmountable 4-0 deficit for the Aggies.
Florida (38-10, 18-5 SEC) got help from its tallest starting pitcher in Jackson Kowar. The right-hander tossed six innings on Saturday, allowing one run on one hit while racking up eight strikeouts.
The junior from Charlotte, North Carolina, had a perfect game going into the fifth inning, retiring the first 14 batters he faced. He recorded six of his eight strikeouts in the first four innings, using a fastball which routinely hit 97 mph according to Texas A&M’s radar gun.
“That’s the best Jackson’s pitched all year,” coach Kevin O’Sullivan said in a radio interview. “His stuff was dynamite.”
What the Gators’ offense lacked in power, it made up for it with situational hitting. While UF laid down just one successful bunt attempt, batters routinely squared up to put down a sacrifice. The extra emphasis on the base paths paid dividends for the Gators, who were able to advance 11 of their 18 baserunners with productive outs compared to Texas A&M’s four out of 14.
“We haven’t bunted a whole lot this year, but just felt like with the way the game was going… three or four (runs) might be enough,” O’Sullivan said.
Florida secured its eighth conference series win of the season and remains the only SEC team to win all of its league series. The Gators will go for the sweep Sunday at 1 p.m.
A radio broadcast contributed to this report. Follow Morgan McMullen on Twitter @MorganMcMuffin and contact him at mmcmullen@alligator.org.
Junior pitcher Jackson Kowar started on Friday against the Razorbacks, throwing six innings and allowing four earned runs during his fourth loss of the season.
