June 11, 2010

Super Regional Scores, Schedules & Capsules

CBI Live
Panteliodis, Gators Shut Down Hurricanes

By Christina De Nicola

Special to CollegeBaseballInsider.com

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Sophomore left-hander Alex Panteliodis (right) picked the perfect time to pitch his first complete game.

Florida beat rival Miami 7-2 on Friday night at McKethan Stadium in the Gainesville Super Regional, thanks to Panteliodis (11-2), who retired the final 14 batters, allowed just three hits and struck out 12. 

“Obviously, it all started with Alex – he was outstanding,” Gators coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “Anytime you have a pitcher throw a complete game in a three-game series, you have to feel good about your staff.”

The Gators (46-15) jumped out to a 3-0 lead over the Hurricanes (43-19) with three unearned runs in the third.

Jonathan Pigott, the ninth batter, led off with a single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Nolan Fontana.

After a fly ball out to center off the bat of Matt den Dekker, Preston Tucker walked and Austin Maddox reached on an error by shortstop Stephen Perez. It was just his 12th error of the year and loaded the bases.

On Brian Johnson’s sixth pitch of the at-bat, he lined a ball to Perez, who thought he caught it in the air, but third base umpire Phil Benson ruled that he trapped it.

That gave Johnson an RBI infield single and kept the inning alive. Mike Zunino followed with a two-out, two-run single to left.

Miami came right back in the top of the fourth when Scott Lawson singled to right and Yasmani Grandal hit an opposite-field home run over the right-field wall. It was his 15th homer of the year and gave him 60 RBI on the season.

But that was all the offense the Hurricanes mustered the rest of the way.

“I was mainly moving the fastball in and out,” Panteliodis said. “I went to the off-speed for a little bit early in the game, and then it was mainly fastballs after that. My team was behind me the whole time and they kept me in the game, kept me feeling confident.”

The Gators scored three more runs in the fourth on three more hits and an error. Tyler Thompson led off with a walk and Pigott singled. Fontana then reached on an error by second baseman Frankie Ratcliff to load the bases. Den Dekker (left) grounded out to first for an RBI, and Tucker popped up to Ratcliff.

But consecutive two-out hits by Maddox and Johnson drove in two more runs.

Thompson added a solo homer to right in the fifth, his sixth of the year, to give the Gators a commanding 7-2 lead.

David Gutierrez (5-3) took the loss despite giving up just one earned run over four innings. Jason Santana pitched the final four frames and gave up one run in long relief.

Miami and Florida will play Saturday at 7 p.m. in the second game of the Gainesville Super Regional. Freshman right-hander Hudson Randall (8-3, 2.97) will try to clinch a trip to Omaha against junior left-hander Chris Hernandez (10-3, 2.77) and the Canes.

(photos by Jimmy Jones)