Gators Find A Way Against Gamecocks

COLUMBIA, S.C.—On a night when its ace, Preseason All-American Logan Shore, didn’t make it out of the fifth inning, when its leading hitter, Preseason All-American Peter Alonso, was held to just a single, and when it had to come back against South Carolina closer Josh Reagan, the Southeastern Conference’s saves leader, top-ranked Florida found a way.

Down a run going into the ninth as Reagan entered into the game, Florida got solo home runs from freshman third baseman Jonathan India and sophomore outfielder Nick Horvath to power past No. 6 South Carolina for a 5-4 victory Friday at Founders Park. With the victory, the Gators (37-6) moved into a tie with the Gamecocks (33-9) atop the SEC East Division standings at 14-5.

“It was a heck of a game,” coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “It’s a shame anybody had to lose. It was back and forth. I would expect tomorrow to be the same. It should be an exciting finish to the weekend.”

Florida’s ninth-inning heroes were somewhat unlikely. India, though he is hitting .321/.378/.467 this season, is not known as a home run hitter. Friday’s blast was just the second of his young career.

India said before he led off the ninth, Florida’s coaches told him not to try for a big hit, but to instead look to get on base. But the freshman was able to turn on a pitch and send it over the left field fence to tie the game.

“I was pumped,” India said. “To do that, to put my team on the board, extend the game, it felt amazing. Just to be a team player, it was awesome.”

Horvath’s home run was the first of his career after transferring from Santa Fe (Fla.) JC. A two-way player, he has appeared in 36 games, but usually enters the game as a defensive replacement or pinch runner, and has just 16 at bats this season.

Horvath is a lefthanded pitcher, but hits righthanded. The Gators are trying to make him a switch-hitter, and he spent batting practice Friday taking lefthanded swings. That project remains a work in progress, but against the lefthanded Reagan, Horvath was able to do damage from the righthanded batter’s box.

“I think it’ll work,” O’Sullivan said. “I don’t know if it’s going to be this year, but he took BP all lefthanded and then the first swing he takes (in the game) is righthanded during the ninth. Baseball’s just a funny game.”

The home runs from India and Horvath were just a part of a big day for the bottom half of Florida’s lineup. The Gators’ sixth through ninth hitters combined to go 5-for-15 with three runs and three RBIs.

The players filling those spots for the Gators are not typical bottom-of-the-lineup hitters. India ranked No. 82 on the BA 500 last year, and was the top position player recruit in Florida’s recruiting class, which ranked No. 2 in the country. He and Mike Rivera, who hit seventh Friday, have OPS of more than .800, while Nelson Maldonado, the No. 8 eight hitter, is just under that mark at .793.

O’Sullivan said the test of any lineup is the strength of its bottom half.

“Your lineup is really determined by the length of your lineup,” O’Sullivan said. “What are the 7-8-9 hole guys? Are they giving you productive at bats? Everybody’s got a 3-4-5, they’ve got a leadoff guy that gets on base and does some things.

“That’s where you kind of see the value of a good lineup is kind of in the length of it and in the bottom half of the lineup.”

The heart of Florida’s lineup didn’t come up empty Friday. DH J.J. Schwarz blasted a two-run home run of his own in the sixth inning, putting the Gators on the board.

The home run was Schwarz’s fifth of the season and first in SEC play this year. While the sophomore’s raw numbers are down from his Freshman All-American season, O’Sullivan said he has seen progress from Schwarz (.297/.423/.471) this season.

“He’s been kind of quietly having good at bats and good at bats and good at bats and good at bats,” O’Sullivan said. “It may not always show up in the stats, but I’m comfortable about where he’s at right now offensively. He’s getting better.”

With the lineup depth they showed Friday, the Gators never feel like they’re out of a game. So when they went to the ninth needing the bottom of their lineup to at least start a rally, they were confident someone would come through.

“We showed heart in that last inning and that’s the kind of team we are,” India said. “(O’Sullivan) talked to us before saying, ‘Show the heart you have and you’ll be fine. It’ll come through for you.’ And that’s how it was.”