It took extra innings to decide the midweek tilt between the Florida Gators and the Jacksonville Dolphins. However, freshman Jud Fabian made sure it didn’t last very long.
With one out in the top of the 10th inning, Fabian smashed a first pitch fastball off Jacksonville reliever Jagger McCoy to right-center field that one-hopped to the wall. That allowed Cory Acton to race home from first and secure a 5-4 win for the Gators.
The double would be the only base hit of the night for Fabian, who went 1-5 in the ballgame, but it couldn’t come at a more opportune time.
The game started off about as well as it could have for the Gators. Florida pushed two runs across the plate in the top of the first inning to take an early lead.
Brady McConnell led the game off with a walk that was followed by an Austin Langworthy single into center. That put runners on the corners for Florida, and a run was scored on Kendrick Calilao’s sacrifice-fly to right field that scored McConnell.
Jordan Butler, making his first start of the season as the DH, drove in the second run with a deep double to right-center field that scored Langworthy.
Another run was pushed across and made it 3-0 when McConnell drove in Blake Reese in the top of the second inning on a single to right field.
After that though, Jacksonville controlled the game.
The Dolphins, after being stifled by Gator starting pitcher Justin Alintoff for the first two innings, cut the deficit.
With two outs, Cory Heffron laced a double down the left field line that scored Jacob Southern and Duncan Hunter, making it 3-2.
Jacksonville would chase Alintoff from the game in the bottom of the third.
After Dakota Julyia reached on a Brady McConnell error and a Scott Dubrule, Adrian Garrastazu launched a triple to right field that scored two runs and made it 4-3 Jacksonville.
Alintoff would finish the game going 3 full innings, allowing four runs, two earned, five hits, a walk and struck out two.
However, the Gator pitching would shut out the Dolphin bats the remainder of the game.
Freshman David Luethje would go the next three and a third inning allowing only two hits and striking out two JU batters.
The Florida offense would be stagnate over the next five innings before breaking through in the seventh.
Nelson Maldonado, replacing Wil Dalton in right field after Dalton as ejected for arguing a strike call, he along with Kevin O’Sullivan were tossed in the altercation, put a deep line-drive to right-center field - that allowed Langworthy, who reached on a single earlier in the inning, to score from second and tie the game at four.
Neither team would put a runner on the base paths until the Gators did in the 10th inning and won the game.
Christian Scott and Nolan Crisp would pitch the final three and two-thirds innings for Florida with Crisp picking up his fifth save of the season.
Acton led the Gators at the plate going 2-3, score a run and draw two walks. McConnell and Langworthy would also have two hits each, with McConnell also having a pair of RBI’s.
Florida will return to action Wednesday night as the Gators host UCF at 6 p.m..
