Frank Rubio brings a different dimension out of the Gators’ bullpen.
He doesn’t have the power fastball like teammate Jackson Kowar. Instead, the righty relies on a sidearm pitch to stymie batters, only needing to reach the high-80s to make his point.
Rubio used his unique pitching style to baffle Jacksonville’s lineup on Tuesday night in relief of Kowar. The junior threw a season-high 3.2 innings, picking up his third win of the season as the No. 2 Gators beat the Dolphins 3-1.
With the win, Florida is now 22-1 in nonconference games and 12-0 during midweek games.
Rubio retired the first eight batters he faced and allowed just two hits during his outing out of the bullpen.
"Jackson throws pretty hard, so coming in throwing with a little dip in velocity but in a different look definitely I think kept their hitters off balance," Rubio said.
Jacksonville’s Austin Hays opened the scoring with a solo home run to left field off of Kowar in the first inning. It was Hays’ 13th home run of the season, and it gave the Dolphins (22-14) momentum.
Rubio came in and stonewalled the Dolphins’ lineup, giving the Gators hope of a come back.
Florida (34-5) tied the game at one in the bottom of the fourth when Buddy Reed scored from third on a wild pitch from Jacksonville’s Casey Kulina. Mike Rivera gave UF the lead for good when he hit an RBI groundout in the sixth that scored Reed.
The Gators’ offense added their third run in the seventh when Jonathan India hit an RBI single. India’s hit was one of just seven hits on the night for Florida, something coach Kevin O’Sullivan attributed to the windy conditions.
"It wasn’t a very good offensive night," O’Sullivan said.
Rubio was lifted in the top of the seventh after allowing a two-out single. Former UF pitcher Taylor Lewis also had the same sidearm pitching motion that Rubio picked up while throwing bullpen sessions with Lewis.
"He kind of laid the groundwork for me," Rubio said of Lewis. "I had a lot of confidence changing my arm slot."
Rubio’s outing gives O’Sullivan more weapons to an already deep pitching staff. O’Sullivan said he was great during offseason workouts, but Tuesday night finally showed what he’s capable of.
"I thought Frank was outstanding," O’Sullivan said. "... I think he’s very confident. I was hoping and expecting for him to have a good year for us."
Contact Luis Torres at ltorres@alligator.org and you can follow him on Twitter @LFTorresIII.
Frank Rubio pitches during Florida's 10-4 loss to Mississippi State on April 9, 2016, at McKethan Stadium.
