As Eric Hanhold got the final out on a slow ground ball to second base, the Gators emptied the dugout to celebrate their season-opening series win.
The freshman right-hander was the 10th Florida reliever to pitch against Duke. Despite the series win, coach Kevin O’Sullivan spent more time on the mound than he wanted to.
His starting pitchers didn’t go after the Blue Devils. They nibbled. They missed spots. They didn’t get it done.
“I wasn’t really pleased how our starters threw this weekend,” O’Sullivan said. “They’ve got to get better. You can’t be going to the bullpen in the third or fourth inning. I know we’re on a pitch count, but they’ve got to get better.”
Florida’s weekend rotation didn’t get out of the fifth inning.
All three pitchers — Jonathon Crawford, Tucker Simpson and Justin Shafer — had pitch limits. They went to a three-ball counts against one-third of their batters faced.
The defense suffered. Florida committed eight errors. Games dragged on as the balls and mound visits piled up.
Players lost focus. Shortstop Richie Martin booted a groundball in the opener. Catcher Taylor Gushue had three errors on Saturday. Vickash Ramjit dropped a fly ball in right field on Sunday.
No. 17 Florida (2-1) takes on UCF (2-1) tonight at 6:30 in Orlando. O’Sullivan will send Keenan Kish to the mound for the junior’s first college start.
The sixth-year coach intends to on use several pitchers against the Knights during the Gators’ first midweek game of 2013.
UF finished 11-3 in midweek contests last year after posting a 7-7 mark in 2011.
“We are going to run some young guys out there probably and piece this thing together,” O’Sullivan said. “I do feel good about how our freshmen threw this weekend. I’ll be honest with you. I thought they handled it very well.”
Excluding Simpson, the lone freshman starting pitcher, Florida’s five newcomers didn’t allow an earned run in six innings of relief.
The Gators’ bullpen allowed only three earned runs in 16.2 innings.
“I’m not going to be settled on this weekend’s rotation the way it is if guys aren’t going to get ahead and do the things we’ve taught them,” O’Sullivan said. “We’ve got plenty of options. It’s as simple as that.”
Powers earns weekly honor: Zack Powers hit two grand slams against Duke on Sunday. The last Florida player to accomplish the feat was Preston Tucker, who hit two grand slams in a 16-3 win against UCF on April 8, 2009.
Collegiate Baseball took notice of Powers’ feat, naming the sophomore one of the Louisville Slugger National Players of the Week for the first time in his career.
Powers, who went 3 for 6 with nine RBI against the Blue Devils, was one of five honorees.
For Powers, the blasts were the first grand slams he could remember since playing little league. He started playing baseball at the age of five.
All he got from his coaches and teammates was a simple “good game,” and a postgame perk.
“I get extra food when we go through the line after the game,” Powers said. “That’s about it.”
Contact Adam Pincus at apincus@alligator.org.
Right-handed starting pitcher Jonathon Crawford (23) throws a pitch during Florida’s 4-3 loss to Duke on Friday at McKethan Stadium. Crawford threw a career-high 103 pitches during six innings of work in Florida's 3-2 loss to Miami on Friday.
