By Antonya English, Times Staff Writer
Sunday, June 5, 2011
GAINESVILLE — There's something about Miami that really gets Florida pitcher and Alonso High alum Alex Panteliodis going. He can't quite explain it, and the Gators aren't questioning. They are just enjoying the spoils of his work.
Panteliodis pitched his longest outing of the season— 62/3 innings, allowing one run — and former Plant standout Preston Tucker went 2-of-4 with five RBIs to help lead Florida to an 11-4 victory over Miami in the Gainesville Region.
Florida (47-16) advanced to its school-record third consecutive NCAA super region, where it will host Mississippi State. The days of games have not been determined. The Bulldogs (37-23) beat Georgia Tech 7-3 to take the Atlanta Region. C.T. Bradford drove in four runs and Nick Routt pitched a six-hitter for Mississippi State
"I don't know, something sparks me against them," said Panteliodis, whose ERA is 0.75 with one earned run in 12 innings in his past two starts. "There's just something about them. They're a great ball team, but they just spark me."
Tucker, who was named the region's most outstanding player, hit a three-run homer in the first inning — the seventh of his postseason career, tying the UF record set by Mario Linares from 1988-91. His 26th RBI broke Linares' career record in NCAA postseason play.
"I didn't know that, but right now it's all about winning games," said Tucker, who finished the region batting .500 (7-for-14) with 11 RBIs, six runs, three home runs and three doubles. "Florida has had a great program for 100 years, so I know it's going to mean something someday, but right now I'm just trying to get guys in. …Whenever I see an opportunity, I'm just trying to drive in the runs."
Miami used to dominate Florida in the postseason.
"Well, I hope it flip-flops again very soon," Miami coach Jim Morris said. "They've done a great job lately really getting some good players in here and playing well. We did eliminate Florida a lot of times, and they're getting even right now.''
For more on the game, go to tampabay.com/blogs/gators.
FSU game suspended: The Florida State-Alabama region game in Tallahassee will resume at noon today with the Seminoles leading 8-1 in the top of the sixth. Bad weather interrupted play. Sun Sports will televise the rest of the game. Alabama must win to force a deciding game, which would begin 50 minutes after the suspended game. Sun Sports would broadcast the second game.
Other region highlights: In Charlottesville, host Virginia beat East Carolina 13-1 and will host a super region for the second consecutive year. The Cavaliers (52-9), the No. 1 national seed, set a school mark for victories. … In Chapel Hill, host North Carolina beat James Madison 9-3 to clinch the region, winning three games by a combined 27-3. … In Columbia, host South Carolina leads Stetson 4-1 in the top of the fifth with the game scheduled to resume at 1 today. A storm suspended play. Stetson must win to force a deciding game at 7.
Softball: Florida wins twice, reaches final
OKLAHOMA CITY — Kelsey Bruder and Brittany Schutte hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning, sending Florida to a 9-2 victory against Alabama and a spot in the Women's College World Series final against top-seeded Arizona State.
The Gators beat the second-seeded Crimson Tide (53-11) twice to reach the championship round, immediately jumping on Kelsi Dunne to take control in both games. Alabama had a shutout streak of 301/3 innings coming into the day.
Florida (56-11) scored a World Series record 11 runs in the first inning of the first game and sent Alabama to a program-worst 16-2 loss, matching World Series records for runs scored and margin of victory in a game. The game was called after five innings. In the second game, Bruder and Schutte provided a quick 3-0 lead and Aja Paculba added a three-run homer in the seventh, before Alabama scored its only runs.
Arizona State advanced with a 4-0 victory over Baylor. Freshman Dallas Escobedo threw a five-hit shutout, and Mandy Urfer hit a two-run homer.
big ten: The conference football championship game will be in Indianapolis through at least 2015, with weather cited as a factor in not rotating with an outdoor venue. Chicago will rotate conference basketball tournaments with Indianapolis beginning next season.
Football: Junior linebacker Herman Lathers, Tennessee's leading returning tackler, has a broken ankle that will require surgery and will likely miss at least part of the season.
Information from Times wires was used in this report.