The Florida baseball team let up a rare first-inning run to Jacksonville on Tuesday night.
It responded with a vengeance.
Shortstop Brady McConnell led off the bottom of the inning by taking JU’s Austin Temple deep over the bleachers in left field to tie the game at one. McConnell’s team-leading eighth home run was followed by five consecutive UF batters safely reaching base. The Gators hit through the order in the first inning and tallied five runs on five hits.
The Dolphins had a three-run rally in the eighth inning thanks to a pair of home runs, but never overcame their first inning pummelling.
Florida defeated Jacksonville 8-4 at home behind its first inning outburst, marking its fourth-straight win over the in-state opponent.
“It’s important for us to get out to an early lead, especially with all the young pitchers we got to use in the midweek,” coach Kevin O’Sullivan said.
The Gators (25-14) have allowed a total of 11 runs in the first inning all season long. Jacksonville (21-16) scored its first-inning run Tuesday on a sacrifice fly. Center fielder Ruben Someillan began the game with a single off UF’s pitcher Nolan Crisp. Shortstop Scott Dubrule followed suit with another single. Third baseman Angel Camacho sent a fly ball to deep center field, allowing Someillan to tag up and score the first run of the game.
Crisp struck out the next batter he faced and forced a groundout to get out of the jam.
After McConnell’s homer, left fielder Austin Langworthy reached first on a throwing error, first baseman Kendrick Calilao was hit by a pitch, and designated hitter Jordan Butler singled to load the bases for right fielder Wil Dalton. He hit an RBI single to score Langworthy and give UF its first lead of the night.
Third baseman Cory Acton then hit a two-RBI single to put Florida ahead 4-1. Second baseman Jacob Young concluded the first-inning scoring with another RBI single, which brought Acton home.
After a high-scoring first inning, Florida went scoreless for the next four innings, and Jacksonville for the next six.
The Gators added a run in the sixth inning when center fielder Jud Fabian hit a single to score Dalton, who singled earlier in the inning.
Jacksonville put another run on the board in the eighth, when Camacho hit a solo home run off relief pitcher Kris Armstrong to left field to bring the score to 6-2.
JU first baseman Jacob Southern singled after the homer, but Armstrong retired the next two batters. He could not escape the inning, however, before Cory Garrastazu went yard to right field for a two-run homer to make it a two-run game.
Young delivered a two-RBI single in the eighth with two outs to negate those home runs that cut into Florida’s lead. His three hits tied a career-high, and he finished the night with three RBIs.
Crisp went three innings, striking out two batters and allowing one earned run off four hits. He took a line drive to the knee in the third inning, but walked it off and remained in the game.
Relief pitcher Nick Pogue closed the game and earned the first save of his career, striking out a batter in 1.1 innings.
“It was a good kind of boost for us,” Young said. “We needed something kind of, I think to turn the corner, especially with a big LSU series coming.”
Follow Kyle Wood on Twitter @Kkylewood and contact him at kwood@alligator.org.
Shortstop Brady McConnell went 1 for 3 in UF's 8-4 win over Jacksonville on Tuesday at Alfred A. McKethan Stadium. He began the Gators' five-run first inning with a home run.
