Make it 14 out of 17. That’s the success that Florida has had against Florida State of late. On Tuesday night in Jacksonville, the Gators’ pitching staff again stifled FSU in a 4-1 victory.
All four Florida runs came in the first inning while it took the Seminoles until the seventh inning to get their first run against the Gators in more than 37 innings going back to last season’s Gainesville Super Regional. With the win, the Gators clinched the regular season series for a second year in a row.
The Good: Florida State starter Andrew Karp recovered from a disastrous first inning to work five frames, allowing four runs. The FSU bullpen trio of Will Zirzow, Chase Haney and Drew Carlton however, were lights out, tossing a combined four shutout innings and giving up just one walk and one hit. Florida pitching was also very good as three hurlers combined to allow just five hits.
The Bad: After a stellar performance against Florida in the first meeting between the teams, Karp ran into first inning trouble for a second straight start. Karp was able to right the ship over his final four innings, but falling into an early 4-0 hole was not what the doctor ordered.
The Ugly: The Seminoles finally got on the board against Florida after being shut out three times in a row against their rivals. FSU still failed to maximize scoring opportunities, leaving seven men on base and hitting into a double play. Over its last eight games against the Gators, FSU has just eight total runs.
Studs of the Game: Mike Rivera’s 3-run first inning home run for Florida served as the big blow to the Seminoles. Out of the Florida bullpen, Michael Byrne allowed just one hit in 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief while striking out five. J.C. Flowers had two of FSU’s five hits.
Duds of the Game: Cal Raleigh and Tyler Daughtry were each 0-for-4 at the plate for Florida State in the loss on Tuesday. For Florida, third baseman Jonathan India and outfielder Nick Horvath each had 0-for-4 nights.
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson
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