Liam Peterson dominates as Gators take down Air Force, 7-0
Unlike a year ago when he made his freshman debut, Liam Peterson took the mound Friday night minus the jitters.
“I think I kind of got rid of those first game jitters, first game nerves,” Peterson said after six dominating innings in 7th-ranked Florida’s 7-0 season-opening win over Air Force at Condron Family Ball Park Friday night. Peterson gave up two hits, walked one and struck out 11 with a fast ball that routinely hit 97-98 on the radar gun.
Minus the jitters Peterson pitched like a seasoned veteran. In the second inning after a leadoff double by Tripp Garrish, Peterson came back to get a fly ball out and consecutive strikeouts to get out of a situation that might have gotten to his head as a freshman.
Last year Peterson had a tendency to overthink tough circumstances. There was no overthinking against Air Force.
“I definitely think I handle situations like that … especially not overthinking it or overcooking anything and letting my heart rate go up.”
Peterson could have gone further into the game than six innings. He only needed 74 pitches, 54 for strikes. The only hint of a control issue came in the fourth when he walked Alex Adams on four straight pitches then went 2-0 to Garrish. At that point Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan made a brief trip to the mound and settled his sophomore down.
Other than that it was smooth sailing. Besides second inning double, the only hit Peterson allowed was a ball that traveled all of about 15 feet that Walker Zapp beat out in the fifth. Peterson followed that up with a strikeout and a fly ball out.
It is just the first start of the year in mid-February, but Peterson’s start was a good sign.
"I mean you never know what to expect opening day, but hopefully starts like this continue for him and hopefully he shows the maturation and the hard work he's put in,” O’Sullivan said. “Most of the time, it's not the stuff holding him back in the beginning. Freshman year, it was the ability to slow the game down and stay out of big innings … he had that situation where he threw six balls in a row, and took a short visit and he made some big pitches after that.”
O’Sullivan pulled Peterson after six, sending in redshirt freshman Caden McDonald and true freshman Jackson Barbieri to close things out. McDonald went the seventh and eighth, gave up a hit, a walk and a hit batter. He struck out three. Barbieri went the ninth, retiring all three batters he faced with two strikeouts.
McDonald, who missed last year with Tommy John surgery, threw strikes and heated up to 90-91 on the gun. He threw 34 pitches, 24 for strikes.
“He’ll get the fast ball back to where it was before Tommy John, where it was 92-95,” O’Sullivan said. “And he still throws strikes and has a good slider.”
Barbieri needed only 15 pitches to get the job done.
At the plate the Gators came through with 11 hits highlighted by Brody Donay’s homer deep over the left field fence on the first pitch he saw in the third inning. Donay’s homer was the only ball that left the yard due to a stiff wind blowing in all night.
Donay’s homer jump started a 4-run inning. Miami transfer Blake Cyr singled, got a stolen base when Air Force was called for interference on a pickoff play, and scored on a single by South Florida transfer Bobby Boser. With two outs, Cade Kurland singled to right center driving home Boser and Colby Shelton.
Two innings later the Gators finished up their scoring with three runs on a bases loaded walk to Ty Evans, a run-scoring single by Kurland and a double play grounder.
The Gators pounded out 11 hits with Shelton, Boser, Kurland and Donay each with two.
The Gators were flawless in the field other than a throwing error on a pickoff by Peterson. Kurland turned in a brilliant play at second with a diving stop and throw from his knees to rob Christian Taylor of a hit in the fourth. In the eighth off McDonald, Cam Anstey was hit by a pitch. Ben Neidangle followed with a single to right but Ty Evans fielded the ball cleanly and fired a strike to Boser at third to nail Anstey.
“All in all, it was a really good game, clean, only negative probably is baserunning,” O’Sullivan said. The Gators had a couple of pickoffs at first, one that was salvaged by the interference call. There was a line drive to shortstop that was turned into a double play and Stetson transfer Kyle Jones was hit a double but was thrown out at third to end the sixth.
Next up: Due to anticipated bad weather on Sunday, the Gators and Air Force will play a doubleheader today, first game at 1 p.m.
UF SOFTBALL: THE TAYLOR SHUMAKER SHOW CONTINUES
Two games, two wins, one of them a 9-0 run-rule over 14th-ranked Duke and the No. 1 Florida Gators improved to 11-0 at the Bubly Invitational at Katie Seashole Presly Stadium Friday. To absolutely no one’s surprise, the story of the day was once again freshman Taylor Shumaker.
The damage assessment: In Florida’s 5-0 win over Providence, Shumaker went 2-3 with a pair of doubles and three RBI. In the win over Duke, she went 3-3 with a single, a double, a home run and four RBI. Add it up and it’s an astonishing 5-6, one single, three doubles, a home run – her eighth of the season – and seven RBI.
Through the first 11 games of her still young college career Shumaker is hitting .581 (18-31) with five singles, five doubles, eight home runs and 23 RBI. She has walked seven times, stolen six bases in six attempts and has struck out only three times.
Not a bad start for a freshman.
In getting the win over Providence, Shumaker drove in three runs while Jocelyn Erickson had a single, a triple and the other two RBI. Olivia Miller, in her first start of the season, went the distance, allowing three hits while walking two and striking out six.
Against Duke, Shumaker gave the Gators the only run they needed in the bottom of the first when she went opposite field over the wall in left field. In the third, Shumaker doubled to right center to drive home Rylee Holtorf and Kendra Falby who had singled. One out later, Erickson singled to right center to score Shumaker for a 4-0 Florida lead.
The Gators put the game away in the bottom of the fourth when they erupted for five runs. Ava Brown walked, Holtorf was hit by a pitch and Falby singled to left field, loading the bases for Shumaker, who hit a run-scoring single. A wild pitch scored Holtorf and after a walk to Erickson, Reagan Walsh hit a run-scoring grounder and Kenleigh Cahalan followed with a 2-RBI single.
Keagan Rothrock gave up two hits and walked one while striking out five to improve to 5-0 on the season. Rothrock has yet to give up an earned run. She has walked only three while striking out 23 in 24-2/3 innings.
The Gators will play two Saturday starting at 11:30 against Boston College. The second game against Binghamton will follow at 2 p.m.
UF GYMNASTICS: WONG, BLAKELY PERFECT IN WIN OVER AUBURNThird-ranked Florida got perfect 10s from Leeanne Wong and Sloane Blakely Friday night as the Gators scored a 197.635-196.825 win over 12th-ranked Auburn in the annual Link to Pink night that raises awareness for breast cancer at the O-Dome.
Wong got Florida’s first 10 of the season with a perfect balance beam routine as the Gators turned in a national high score of 49.700. Included were 9.975s by Victoria Nguyen and Selena Harris-Miranda.
Blakely got her 10 on floor. Combined with Harris-Miranda and Nguyen’s 9.925s the Gators closed out the meet with a season-high 49.600.
Wong won the vault title with a 9.90 and had a 9.975 to tie with Harris-Miranda for the bars title. Anya Pilgrim had a 9.95 on bars.
Wong and Harris-Miranda tied for the all-around title with 39.750 scores, tied for the second best all-around scores in the nation.
The Gators travel to Norman next Friday night to face No. 1 Oklahoma.
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