GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- After finding themselves behind 6-0 entering the bottom of the fifth inning against Florida State, the young Florida baseball team faced its first real test against ranked competition and was struggling.
The fifth-ranked Gators wouldn’t back down though. The home team used a five run fifth inning and an eight run sixth to turn the deficit into a route of their instate rivals, 20-7.
The Gators have now won nine straight games over Florida State and 15 of the last 17 against the Noles.
“We weren’t down and out, we didn’t tuck in the tail, it was just fight and one-pitch at a time,” Wil Dalton said.
The Gators used six different pitchers to get through the Noles. Florida also had six different batters record multiple base hits, leading to 17 total hits on the night.
The Noles got off to a quick start to jump out to an early lead over the Gators. Mike Salvatore led off the top of the first with a double to right field and made it to third after right fielder Wil Dalton bobbled the throw into the infield.
Two batters later, Drew Mendoza smacked a double to left field to drive in Salvatore and make it 1-0.
Florida would squander an opportunity in the bottom of the second with the bases loaded. After Dalton doubled and Jud Fabian and Brady Smith drew walks, Jacob Young struck out to end the inning and the threat.
FSU would add another run in the top of the third inning when freshman shortstop Nander De Sedas clobbered a 2-2 pitch from Jordan Butler over the left field bleachers and make it 2-0.
It got really ugly for Florida in the top of the fifth. After relief pitcher Christian Scott allowed back-to-back walks, Nolan Crisp entered to relieve Scott. Crisp would load the bases after walking Elijah Cabell and faced J.C. Flowers.
Flowers opened the game up with one swing, driving a fastball from Crisp off the right-field scoreboard and made it 6-0 FSU.
Despite the deep deficit, Florida wouldn’t go away.
After Jacob Young and Brady McConnell reached on an error and a fielder’s choice, respectively, Nelson Maldonado drew a walk to load the bases.
Kendrick Calilao would then put the Gators on the board with an RBI single to left field to score Young. The throw into the infield went past Mendoza at third and allowed McConnell to trot home as well, making it 6-2.
Dalton would walk and reload the bases, setting up even more trouble for the Noles. Consecutive wild pitches from FSU relief pitcher Clayton Kwiatkowski would allow both Maldonado and Calilao to score, closing the gap for the Gators to 6-4.
Kirby McMullen would enter to pinch hit for Cory Acton, and the junior would deliver. He sent a single into left field that allowed Dalton to score and make it a one run game.
Florida State would get a run back in the top of the sixth on a Salvatore RBI single that scored Matteu Nelson and make it 7-5.
However, the bottom of the sixth inning would entirely flip the momentum of the game to the Gators.
Florida would score eight runs in the frame and snatch the lead from the Seminoles.
It began by McConnell and Maldonado both being hit by pitches to start the inning. Calilao would then drive in his second run of the night after he put a double into center field that scored McConnell.
Dalton would then tie the game at seven after his infield single allowed Maldonado to score from third.
“When I hit it, I kind of laughed under my breathe a little bit,” Dalton said. “The way his arm action, the way he throws it kind of pulls him off to the other side off the mound. When I got to first I said, of course of al way I could have done that I do it the one way, I guess you could say is the cheapest.”
The Gators would take advantage of a plethora of Florida State miscues to open up the lead. Austin Langworthy laid down a bunt to the right side of the infield, but the throw to first couldn’t be picked by FSU first baseman Nico Baldor and the ball rolled down the right field wall.
“It’s been out offense the whole year,” O’Sullivan said about the team bunting often in the game, “we tried to do a lot of that early, but quite frankly we had a lot of missed signs and missed execution.”
“It has to be part of our offense. It’s not like we can’t hit homeruns and doubles, but it’s nice to have another element because when you face Friday night guys in this league there’s a lot of low scoring games.”
This allowed both Dalton and Calilao to score and make it 9-7 with Langworthy on second.
A single from Jud Fabian would score Langworthy and a triple from Brady Smith would drive in Fabian to make it 11-7 Gators.
Young would then bunt for a base hit to score Smith, extending his hitting streak to 11 games.
McConnell would finish the scoring in the inning by extending his own hitting streak to 15 games by slapping a single to right field, allowing Young to race home from second and make it 13-7.
Florida would add insult to injury by adding another seven runs in the eighth inning. Calilao would hit his second grand slam of the season to make it 18-7. He finished with six RBI’s on the night.
Blake Reese would enter to pinch hit later in the inning and sent a 2-0 pitch into the right-field bullpen for a two-run homerun that made it 20-7.
Freshman Ben Specht would mow through the FSU lineup in the seventh and eighth innings, striking out four and allowing only one hit and no runs.
Nick Blasuci would finish the game on the mound for Florida.
Calilao would finish with four hits on the night and six RBI’s. Young, McConnell, Maldonado, Dalton and Smith all finished with two hits as well. Jud Fabian went 1-3 and drew two walks while also stealing two bases.
“Sure, I’m excited we won, but on the flip-side driving home tonight I’m thinking about the mistakes we made,” O’Sullivan said. “This team just does not have the maturity, because it’s so youthful, to get ahead of themselves. The runs we scored tonight, means nothing on a Friday night."
Florida will begin SEC play this weekend when the team hosts No. 6 Mississippi State for a three-game series. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m..
