For the second-straight midweek game, UF coach Kevin O’Sullivan decided to rely on his bullpen.
This time it worked.
The Gators started Jeff Barfield and used five other relief pitchers in a loss to FSU on March 30.
But the relievers came through the second time around as they limited Jacksonville (16-14) to just six hits as No. 8 Florida (21-7) beat the Dolphins 12-2 Tuesday.
O’Sullivan gave struggling Greg Larson, who usually comes out of the bullpen and has been sidelined due to elbow tendinitis since March 24, the second start of his career. The sophomore came into the game with a 12.54 ERA, but it didn’t show.
“It felt good to get back out there,” Larson said. “[O’Sullivan] had me on a pre-determined pitch count (40 pitches), so he took me out early.”
He lasted three innings and allowed two runs, both unearned, while striking out two.
From there, four bullpen pitchers teamed up to throw six scoreless innings.
“Today worked out perfectly because nobody really got extended, so you still have them fresh for Friday,” O’Sullivan said. “If you were going to draw up a Tuesday game, this went exactly the way you want it to.”
After being shut out for the first time this season Sunday, Florida’s offense got back on track as it scored 10 of its 12 runs with two outs.
“[Two-out hits have] kind of been our motto — last year we did it a lot,” O’Sullivan said. “We haven’t done that much this year, we’ve been leaving a lot stranded. Hopefully this is a step in the right direction.”
Right fielder Jonathan Pigott got it started in the second with a two-out triple to drive in two runs and give the Gators an early 2-0 lead.
Florida displayed a different aspect of its offense in the fifth as it scored an insurance run without hitting a ball out of the infield.
Freshman Mike Zunino led off with an infield single, stole second during the next at-bat and later scored off of a ground ball hit by senior Matt den Dekker.
Zunino snapped out of his 2-for-35 slump with a two-hit performance to go along with one RBI on Tuesday.
“I’m starting to (feel better at the plate),” Zunino said. “It’s still a battle, but from here on out, I have to take each at bat as a different battle.”
The Gators broke open a 5-2 game with a five-run sixth capped off by a wild pitch that allowed den Dekker to score from second.
Designated hitter Brian Johnson, who is also a starting pitcher, hit his first home run as a Gator in the seventh after reaching base on 8 of 12 plate appearances over the weekend. He finished with two RBIs.
