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The No. 7 Florida Gators handed the No. 5 Florida State Seminoles their first loss of the season with a commanding 7-2 win on Tuesday night at Mike Martin Field/Dick Howser Stadium in Tallahassee.
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The Gators capitalized on strong pitching and timely hitting to set the stage for a crucial weekend series against No. 2 Tennessee, the last remaining unbeaten team in Division I. The Seminoles (15-1) had only allowed four or more runs three times in their first 15 games.
Dominant Pitching Sets Tone
Florida’s pitching staff controlled the game from the start by holding the Seminoles to just two runs on six hits. Right-hander Billy Barlow delivered three shutout innings before exiting after taking a line drive to the shoulder. Barlow scattered three hits and struck out two to keep the FSU lineup in check.
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Reliever Jackson Barberi (1-0) picked up the win, tossing three solid innings and allowing just one run on a solo homer in the fifth while striking out three. Luke McNeillie followed with two shutout frames, striking out four, before Alex Philpott closed things out in the ninth, allowing a solo home run but securing the victory.
Early Offense Gives Gators Control
Florida struck first in the second inning when Luke Heyman drove in Brendan Lawson with a single to give the Gators a 1-0 lead. The bats came alive again in the fifth, when Florida brought in three more runs. Ty Evans‘ sacrifice fly scored Landon Stripling, followed by an RBI double from Justin Nadeau and an RBI single by Colby Shelton to extend the lead to 4-0.
FSU got on the board in the bottom of the fifth with a solo home run, but Florida responded in the seventh with a two-run blast from Shelton to push the lead to 6-1. The Gators added another run in the eighth when Bobby Boser grounded out with the bases loaded, scoring Hayden Yost.
Florida State’s only other offense came in the ninth with another solo homer, but it was too little, too late.
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Up Next
The Gators improve to 16-2 and gain momentum heading into their weekend showdown in Knoxville against Tennessee (17-0). The series starts Friday night to open SEC play. First pitch is at 6:30 p.m. on the SEC Network+ and ESPN 98.1-FM/850-AM WRUF, WJXL 1010-AM).
