Florida State’s (3) Drew Faurot celebrates after sliding safe into second in the top of the third against the Florida Gators at Condron Ballpark on Tuesday. Florida State defeated Florida 12-8. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun]

Seminoles Remain Undefeated, Dominate Gators

Jesse Simmons March 13, 2024 ACC, Feature Sports News, Gators Baseball, Gators Sports, SEC 183 Views

The No. 8 Florida Gators lost their mid-week matchup to unranked Florida State, 12-8, to snap a four-game winning streak against the Seminoles.

The Seminoles (15-0) are off to their best start to a season since 2013 in dropping the Gators to 10-6 on Tuesday.

It was a chess game on the mound, as 15 pitchers were called on between the two teams. 

After going down early to the ‘Noles, Florida used nine of those throwers (five freshman) to perhaps preserve their arms for an important opening conference series against undefeated Texas A&M.

‘Noles Keep Swinging, Gator Bullpen Struggles

Making a team earn a win or simply handing it over are two different things.

“We got beat in every phase. We got beat on the mound. Their hitters did a nice job, they ran the bases aggressively,” UF coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “They played clean defense. We got beat, really that simple.”

Florida’s pitching staff gave up a season-high nine walks.

Florida State came into the game batting .377 and meant business in Gainesville.

Maybe not the first inning like the rest of the bullpen’s struggles, but one of the Gators’ few reliable freshman Alex Philpottt had a quick start for the Gators.

Philpott (2-1) left in the second inning after giving up consecutive walks and a sacrifice fly, followed by an error from second baseman Cade Kurland in allowing two more runs that gave the ‘Noles a 3-0 lead.

Fisher Jameson stepped in to stop the bleeding for the Gators and did so, until O’Sullivan pulled him in the fourth, handing the ball to freshman Grayson Smith.

After a 7-foot dribbler single, James Tibbs III put a ball into the stratosphere for a three-run homer to right field, as the ‘Noles took a 7-0 lead in the fourth.

From there, the Gators continued to use almost every arm in their bullpen, as no pitcher tossed more than a single inning after Philpott and Jameson.

It was a bad combination for Florida, as FSU’s bats stayed hot while the Gators’ pitching was inconsistently all over the zone.

The Seminoles collected 13 hits, as first baseman Daniel Cantu (3 for 3) and second baseman Drew Faurot (3 for 5) led the way to draw the lead to 12-5 heading into the ninth.

However, it’s not just the bullpen to blame as the Gators continue to slide in the rankings.

Gators Bats Racking Up the Punchies

Florida tied its season-high 15 strikeouts against the Seminoles (sixth multi-strikeout performance in eight games) and were outhit 13-8.

Outside of the fourth inning, the Gators were virtually non-competitive on offense.

The Gators worked the bases loaded with no outs and third baseman Dale Thomas brought home Florida’s first run with a sac fly to make it 7-1. A strike out and a walk later, Cade Kurland hit a grand slam homer over the visitor’s bullpen to pull the Gators within 7-5.

A chance at a momentum shift for the Gators was squashed in the eighth with Jac Caglianone on deck.

With two runners in scoring position, the home plate umpire called Kurland out on an apparent attempt to lean into a pitch to end the inning for Florida.

In the last inning, right fielder Ty Evans capped off a 3-for-4 night with a line drive that zipped passed the centerfielder’s glove for an inside-the-park home run, inching back 12-8 before FSU sealed it.

The attendance was 8,142, the fifth-largest crowd in program history and the biggest against Florida State.

Up Next

The Gators continue to host the second of the last two undefeated teams in the nation, No. 4 Texas A&M (17-0) to open SEC action. Game 1 on Friday is set for 6:30 p.m. at Condron Family Ballpark and coverage will be on the SEC Network+ and ESPN 98.1-FM/850-AM WRUF.

 

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