The Florida Gators played two games against the Florida Atlantic Owls Monday night.
Perhaps Florida was distracted by the MLB draft Monday night, as it had two players go in the first round with third baseman Jonathan India and pitchers Brady Singer. After it dropped the first matchup, UF played FAU for a spot in the Super Regionals:
Game 1
Errors and misplayed balls marred the third inning for the Gators as they went on to give up five runs to the Owls in a 7-4 loss at Alfred A. McKethan Stadium in the Gainesville Regional.
In what was a bizarre day, Florida was forced to be the visiting team on its own field because of a rule that stipulates a team cannot be on the away side for three-consecutive NCAA games.
To add to the weirdness of the Regional, there was a lengthy weather delay prior to the start of the game. The game was supposed to begin at 1 p.m., but didn’t officially start until 5:45 p.m.
UF starting pitcher Jackson Kowar allowed two singles to begin the third inning before an error from right fielder Wil Dalton, where he misplayed a routine fly ball, loaded the bases.
FAU followed the error with back-to-back singles to plate two runs.
A walk loaded the bases once again and another single notched two more RBIs for the Owls and the route was on at 5-0.
Four of five singles in the inning were to the left side of the field between the shortstop and the third-base line. All five runs followed the same principle.
Oddly enough, Kowar struck out the next three batters to end the inning.
Kowar struggled in this one though, mainly with location.
“He’s got an electric fastball,” coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “But when the ball is above mid-thigh, you have a chance for hard contact.”
Florida stole a couple runs back in the next half-inning, when second baseman Blake Reese launched a two-run home run past the right field fence to cut the FAU lead to three.
The Owls got those two runs back in the bottom of the inning, however. A single and a fielding error by UF shortstop Deacon Liput on an easy double-play ball put men on first and second before another single eventually loaded the bases.
A sacrifice fly scored a run, and a wild pitch moved the runners over to second and third. A single to left field scored a run before UF left fielder Austin Langworthy gunned the second runner down at the plate to end the frame. That left the score at 7-2.
Florida tacked on one more in the top of the fifth when center fielder Nick Horvath legged out an infield single to third base. He was moved over on a fielder’s choice groundout from Liput and singled in by designated hitter Nelson Maldonado to make it 7-3.
UF put forth one final effort in the top of the ninth when Liput bombed a homer off the video board in right field.
The Gators had plenty of chances in Game 1 but did not make the most of them, going 1 for 12 with runners in scoring position while stranding eight runners.
Game 2
UF was finally designated as the home team after two games of being the away club in Gainesville.
It was tight-knit nearly the entire contest, but Florida rallied by FAU in Game 2 by a score of 5-2.
The Gators went down early in the game when starting pitcher Jack Leftwich couldn’t find the strike zone and walked three batters to load the bases in the top of the first.
A single later and the Owls suddenly had the Gators on the ropes again, going up 2-0.
Leftwich limited the damage by striking out the side.
Florida stole a run back in the bottom of the third when it placed runners on second and third courtesy of a walk by catcher Jonah Girand and a double from Maldonado.
Girand scored on a single by India, but that was all the Gators got in the frame as they stranded three runners.
After an unsettling first inning in which he threw 44 pitches, Leftwich found his groove and only threw 50 more over the next three innings.
O’Sullivan admitted that he had to leave the right-hander in the game despite the rough start.
“We didn’t really have any other choice,” O’Sullivan said. “He was going to have to give us another few innings or we weren’t going to win the game.”
In the bottom of the fourth, UF finally broke through.
A leadoff single from first baseman Brady Smith put a runner on first. Horvath singled to left field and Smith attempted to take third, where he was easily pegged out. On the next play, Girand unleashed a mammoth home run to deep left field to give the Gators their first lead of the day at 3-2.
Girand has been a catalyst of the Gators’ success with three home runs this postseason, especially with normal catcher JJ Schwarz out of the lineup with an injury. The junior was named the Gainesville Regional Tournament Most Valuable Player following the win. He has warranted consideration to stay at catcher and move Schwarz over to first base, his other position, should Schwarz be ready for the Super Regional.
“Jonah’s worked so hard all season,” India said. “I think he was even our best hitter in the fall, and he works at his craft. Now it’s paying off for him.”
In the next inning, India crushed a ball even farther than Girand’s, which doubled the lead to two runs.
India’s homer was followed by Dalton’s encore performance, a line-drive home run that just cleared the left-field fence and gave UF a 5-2 lead.
FAU was pesky though and refused to allow Florida anything easily. In the top of the 7th, the Owls hit back-to-back singles off closer Michael Byrne. Byrne then balked to move the runners over to second and third.
The All-American closer escaped the inning by inducing two flyouts right field and went on to close the game out and earn the save for the Gators.
Florida plays Auburn in the Gainesville Super Regional this weekend beginning Saturday at noon.
You can follow Chris O'Brien on Twitter @THEChrisOB or contact him at cobrien@alligator.org.
UF third baseman Jonathan India was drafted fifth overall by the Cincinnati Reds in the MLB Draft Monday night. Pitcher Brady Singer was also drafted in the first round by the Kansas City Royals.
