JACKSONVILLE – With severe weather closing in and the Florida Gators down 3-2 in the fifth inning to state rival Florida State at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville, the Florida coaches knew they had to score quickly.
What they didn’t expect was that the Seminoles and Mother Nature would end the game even quicker.
Jerico Weitzel led off the bottom offifth inning with an infield single and was sacrificed to second by Matt den Dekker laid down a sacrifice bunt, advancing him to second base.
Florida State coach Mike Martin brought in his normal Friday night starter, Sean Gilmartin, into the game, on protecting the one-run lead that Jack Posey had given the Seminoles in the top of the inning with a home run off Florida’s Alex Panteliodis.
Gilmartin did his job by getting Daniel Pigott to line out to second baseman Jason Stidham, who stepped on second to catch Weitzel running to third to end the inning. Then before Panteliodis could throw some more strikes, a few bolts of lightning behind left field sent both teams to the dugouts. Less than an hour later, Florida State was declared a 3-2 winner.
“We had our opportunities to do it, but we didn’t,” Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “It’s as simple as that. They earned it, we just didn’t do enough to win it.”
Posey hit a 3-2 pitch from Panteliodis deep over the left-field fence in the top of the fifth.
Florida starter Stephen Locke only lasted 2.1 innings. He allowed four hits and two earned runs in the first inning.
“I’m not going to pin it on Stephen,” O’Sullivan said. “He hasn’t been out there very much. I thought he made some good pitches. Obviously he’s a little rusty.”
Seminoles leadoff hitter Tyler Holt started the game with a single to left field and then stole second. After Stephen Cardullo walked, Stuart Tapley hit a fly ball into center field. Holt tagged up, moving to third and scoring when the ball bounced out of Weitzel’s glove at third. Cardullo then stole third after also moving up on the fly ball to center. Jason Stidham hit a sacrifice fly to left to score Cardullo and give the Seminoles an early 2-0 lead.
The scoreboard was full of zeros until the Gators tied the game in the fourth inning.
Avery Barnes led off with a single into left field. After Josh Adams struck out looking, Buddy Munroe was hit by a pitch to move Barnes to second. A passed ball moved both runners up to second and third. Brandon McArthur followed with a walk to load the bases.
Preston Tucker then hit a sharp ground ball to third base where Stuart Tapley missed it and the ball went into left field, scoring Barnes and Munroe to tie the game. But Clayton Pisani would follow by hitting into a double play.
“I actually got new contacts this weekend,” Tucker explained as the reason for his current hot hitting, including being named SEC Freshman of the Week. “I wasn’t seeing the ball well. The coaches have been working with me a lot, adjusting my hands.”
The Seminoles’ victory evens the season series at one game apiece, with the third game coming on April 14 in Tallahassee.
Florida resumes action on Wednesday night at home against Stetson. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30. The Gators then head to Nashville, Tenn., to play a three-game series with Vanderbilt beginning Friday