GAINESVILLE, Fla. — It wasn’t pretty, but the Florida Gator baseball team handled Long Beach State University in its season opener 8-2.
The Gators used a four run first inning to build an early lead and a four-run seventh inning to bury the Dirtbags and pick up the win.
The offense got off to its quick start after Brady McConnell put a single into center field with one out. That was followed up by a Nelson Maldonado walk
Wil Dalton then picked up where he left of a season ago, knocking in two runs with a hard-hit single to center that made it 2-0.
Freshman Kendrick Calilao followed that up with a walk to put two runners on with one out. After a Cory Acton ground out, Brady Smith extended the Gator lead.
The sophomore catcher laced a line drive to right-center field that scored both Dalton and Calilao to make it 4-0.
“That was huge,” Maldonado said of the four run first, “that created a lot of momentum for us and I think without that inning we probably would have struggled a little bit.”
That four-run lead was much needed over the next five and a half innings.
Gators starting pitcher Tyler Dyson struggled in just over three innings of work. While he didn’t allow a run, he used 72 pitches and was wild for most of the evening. He was guilty of two wild pitches and walked four batters while striking out four as well.
Dyson failed to record any 1-2-3 innings in the ballgame and left in the top of the fourth with one out after allowing a lead-off walk to Luke Rasmussen and a deep-fly out.
Jordan Butler relieved Dyson in the frame, and that’s when Long Beach State caught a break.
Butler allowed a walk to the first batter he faced, Chris Jimenez. Rasmussen and Jimenez then stole 3rd and 2nd, respectively to put runners in scoring position.
It was self-inflicted wounds that hurt the Gators next.
Catcher Brady Smith allowed a passed ball that scored Rasmussen and a wild pitch from Butler allowed Jimenez to score, cutting the Florida lead in half.
“I wish there was something you could say to the playersbefore the very first game because the expected is almost the unexpective,” head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said, “I would expect us to get better as the weekend goes on and as time goes on.”
Florida was able to keep the Dirtbags in check the remainder of the game, but it wasn’t easy.
After getting into a bases-loaded jam in the top of the 5thwith two outs, Butler was able to get out of the jam by getting Dominic Campeau to fly-out to Jud Fabian in center field.
The sixth had its own share of scares.
Butler allowed a lead-off walk and was pulled from the game after a sacrifice bunt was laid down by LBSU pinch-hitter Victor Carlino.
Butler was relieved by freshman Ben Specht after going two innings and allowing one earned run on one hit and a walk. He also struck out two batters.
Specht was bailed out in the inning by McConnell at short, who made a smooth double play to end the inning. The sophomore caught a hard line-drive from Tanner Carlson with runners on second and first. He then flipped the ball to Blake Reese covering second base to turn the 6-4 double play.
The Dirtbags threatened again in the 7th, putting runners on the corners with two outs. Specht was able to navigate the turbulence once again as he was able to get Campeau to ground-out to Calilao at first base.
The Gators were able to pad the lead in the bottom of the inning. Nelson Maldonado lead off the inning with a walk and advanced to third on Dalton’s second base hit of the night.
With one out and Cory Acton at the plate, LBSU relief pitcher Jonathan Carlos was called for a balk and gave Maldonado a free pass to the plate, making it 5-2 Florida.
Dalton then advanced to third on a ground out by Acton that was followed up by a Brady Smith walk.
Following another Dirtbag pitching change, relief pitcher Basilio Pacheco hit Reese with a pitch to load the bases.
The Gators then caught a break to score three more runs. Jud Fabian hit a towering fly-ball to left field that couldn’t be found by LBSU outfielder Calvin Estrada. The ball clipped his glove and fell to the grass, allowing Dalton, Smith and Reese to score.
Justin Alintoff pitched a scoreless 8th inning, striking out the side. Kris Armstrong ended the game on the mound for Florida, allowing no runs in the 9th.
Florida finished with 10 hits as team. McConnell, Maldonado and Dalton all had two hits each to pace the offense. Calilao, Fabian, Reese and Smith all had base hits as well.
“(Jud) Fabian in center, I thought he played outstanding defensivly, “O’Sullivan said, “he’s been working awfully hard. To have someone like that hitting in the nine spot tells you wat I hopefully think our lineup is going to be.”
Long Beach State was limited to four hits in the ball game. Brooks Stotler lead the Dirtbags with two of them.
Game two of the series is Saturday at 4 pm with Tommy Mace on the mound for the Gators and Zak Baayoun pitching for Long Beach State.
