Colleges

Florida's bats quiet in Series defeat

ARIZ. ST. 6, FLORIDA 1: Erik Averill, pitching on short rest, and the Sun Devils slow the Gators' quest for the finals.

By ABE WINTER
Published June 23, 2005

	[AP photo]
	Florida's Adam Davis tumbles after Joey Hooft's grounder got by him in the eighth. Florida had only five hits against Erik Averill in the 6-1 loss.

OMAHA, Neb. - Maybe pitchers don't need four days between starts.

Erik Averill, pitching on two days' rest, threw a five-hit complete game and Travis Buck homered to lead Arizona State to a 6-1 victory over Florida on Wednesday in the College World Series.

The teams play again at 7 p.m. today with the winner advancing to the best-of-three title series beginning Saturday.

Sunday, Averill allowed eight hits and two runs in 52/3 innings and 75 pitches in a 4-2 win over Tennessee. Wednesday, he allowed one run, struck out seven and walked none on 111 pitches.

"What can you say?" Sun Devils coach Pat Murphy said. "Erik Averill ... unbelievable. That's all I can think of."

Florida's top five hitters in the lineup combined to go 1-for-20, managing only a single by Matt LaPorta in the first. Jeff Corsaletti, Adam Davis, Brian Jeroloman and Brian Leclerc went 0-for-4.

"That was a masterful job against us," said Pat McMahon, whose team would have advanced to the final with a victory. "We didn't do a good job making adjustments at the plate."

Averill, a junior left-hander, seemed happier to give Arizona State's bullpen a rest a day after Brett Bordes, Pat Bresnehan and Zechry Zinicola combined to pitch seven innings in an 8-7 victory against Nebraska.

"My mind-set going in was getting as many innings as I could," Averill said. "You never really know how much your body will give you until you ask it. I was a little tired the first five innings, and I didn't have my best stuff. I was relying on my changeup."

His fastball and breaking ball proved effective from there. The Gators got only one runner to second, Leclerc in the seventh, and Averill retired the final eight batters and 13 of the final 14.

"The kid pitched his butt off," Florida leftfielder Gavin Dickey said. "Hats off to him."

Florida starter Bryan Ball, who hadn't pitched since the region opener June4, gave up only four hits, two in the first and sixth. The junior right-hander gave up a home run to Travis Buck in the first but retired seven in a row until the fourth, when the Sun Devils scored without a hit.

Ball walked the first two hitters on eight pitches. A sacrifice bunt by Tuffy Gosewisch and groundout by Seth Dhaenens made it 2-0.

The lower part of the Gators' order got a run in the fifth. Dickey, batting seventh, singled with one out, advanced to second on a groundout and scored on a single by Jared Kubin, the No.9 hitter, to make it 2-1.

But Jeff Larish, who hit three home runs Tuesday against Nebraska, doubled to lead off the sixth for Arizona State. He moved to third on a groundout and scored on Colin Curtis' single. Then the Sun Devils pulled away in the seventh.

Ball was pulled after throwing two balls. Armwood graduate Mike Pete completed the walk to Dhaenens and allowed a single to Joey Hooft. After a sacrifice bunt, J.J. Sferra's single made it 5-1.

The Sun Devils got a gift run in the eighth. Curtis was credited with a double when Leclerc lost a fly ball in the sun. He scored on Gosewisch's single.

"It's a tough loss," McMahon said, "as all losses are."

Information from other news organizations was used in the report.

[Last modified June 29, 2005, 13:01:31]