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The sixth ranked Florida Gator baseball team edges theBethune-Cookman Wildcats 2-1 Tuesday night in Gainesville to improve to 32-10 on the season and 24-4 when playing at home.
Eric Hanhold got the start for the Gators and was lights out for five innings. He gave up no runs, five hits and struck out a career high seven batters. In the sixth inning after Hanhold gave up a one-out double AJ Puk came in for relief. Puk struggled in relief putting his first two batters on to load the bases. Junior Aaron Rhodes replaced Puk and got the first batter he faced to hit into a double play to get out of the bases loaded jam.
Before the game, Puk and fellow pitcher Kirby Snead were reinstated to the team after serving indefinite suspensions after both were arrested a few days ago and charged with entering a construction site.
Wildcats starting pitcher Michael Austin did something most starting pitchers couldn’t this season; he held the Gators to no runs and no hits through 4.1 innings while striking out three. The Gators threatened in the fifth after receiving two straight walks, but freshman Joseph Calamita came in to relieve Austin and got Mike Rivera to pop out and Dalton Guthrie to strike out ending the inning.
The Gators got their first hit and their first run of the night in the sixth inning. Richie Martin led the inning off with a bunt single then would steal his second base of the night to move into scoring position with two outs. Buddy Reed hit a routine pop-up to the catcher that landed after some miscommunication and Martin came across the plate to put the Gators up 1-0.
In the top of the eighth Bobby Poyner came in to relieve Rhodes with two outs and a man on third and the first pitch he threw was hit into right field for a single to tie the game at 1-1.
But in the bottom of the eighth senior Josh Tobias singled to drive in Richie Martin, who had doubled with one out in the inning. He had moved to third on a groundout by Harrison Bader before scoring the winning run.
Gator coach Kevin O’Sullivan was pleased with the work of his pitching staff.
“That is the best [Eric] Hanhold has looked all year. I’m really pleased with the way he threw. It was good to get Aaron Rhodes back out there again, and then [Bobby] Poyner did a nice job. Pitching-wise, we were good tonight. We needed to be because of the way we were swinging the bats. Tomorrow is another day to clean up some things. We certainly need to get better.”
Hanhold spoke about Tobias’s big at-bat in the eighth inning.
“It was a big lift. We needed this game. We’re playing good baseball, but we just have to come ready every day and get ready for the series.”
Up next for the Gators is a home series against SEC East rival Kentucky this weekend. First pitch on Friday is set for 7pm but tune into ESPN 850 WRUF at 6:55 to catch the call with Jeff Cardozo and Steve Russell.
Sound from tonight’s game below:
