The Florida State baseball team was not lacking for opportunities in its first game of the season against rival Florida.
But after a 5-0 week where it didn’t waste many scoring chances, the Seminoles did plenty of that Tuesday night in Gainesville. The 20th-ranked Seminoles (13-3) stranded eight runners and were 3-of-14 (.214) with runners on base in a 6-3 loss against No. 23 Florida which snapped their nine-game winning streak.
FSU was kept without a baserunner in just one of its first eight innings
at the plate. But 18 strikeouts by the lineup limited the offense to scoring in just two of those innings.
The difference, conversely, was Florida’s five-run third inning. With Florida State ahead 2-0 after Cal Fisher’s two-run single in the second, seven straight Gators reached against Kevin Mebil and Chris Knier on singles or walks.
Cash Strayer gave Florida a 3-2 lead with a two-run single, and Jacob Kendall tacked on two more with another single three batters later.
That wound up being enough for the Gators, who allowed just one run on three hits over the final five innings.
Th bottom of the lineup provided almost all the production for the Seminoles. The top three hitters in the FSU lineup, John Stuetzer, Noah Sheffield and Myles Bailey, were a combined 0-for-11 with three strikeouts apiece. The top five hitters in the lineup managed just one hit and struck out 11 times.
Hunter Carns (2-for-3) was the only Seminole with multiple hits. Eli Putnam reached three times with a double — FSU’s only extra-base hit — and two walks. Freshman Will Bavaro cut the Florida lead to 5-3 with an RBI single in the fourth frame after the big Florida inning.
The FSU lineup, though, had no answers for the Gators’ top-end arms in the back of the bullpen. Their last 11 outs were strikeouts, with Jackson Barberi striking out five straight and closer Joshua Whritenour striking out all five batters he faced.
With Payton Manca still unavailable, Florida State turned to standout reliever John Abraham for a spot start. He walked three but allowed no hits over two scoreless innings to set the tone. Mebil and Knier, however, did not live up their usually reliable reputation early this season, recording a combined two outs (one each) while allowing five runs on as many hits.
With those three arms burned, it appeared things could be bleak for the Seminoles on the mound. But a few up-and-down arms rose to the occasion and gave the offense a chance to wake up. Cade O’Leary tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings. Brodie Purcell allowed just a solo homer to Brendan Lawson (his ninth of the season) over two innings of work, striking out a pair. Cole Stokes delivered a scoreless ninth with two strikeouts, albeit with a pair of two-out walks.
Overall, FSU’s staff allowed nine walks and six hits, striking out nine. Aside from that one inning, Florida also didn’t take advantage of its chances with runners on base.
But sometimes, it can come down to something as lean as a single inning. That was certainly the case on Tuesday.
Up Next
Things don’t get much easier from here. The Seminoles hit the road this weekend for a three-game set at No. 12 Wake Forest to kick off ACC play, starting Friday at 6 p.m.
