TAMPA — After pitching a shutout in his first start, Anthony DeSclafani could not record an out in his second appearance this season.
The sophomore faced only five batters before leaving the mound.
No. 6 FSU (7-0) exploded for seven runs in the opening inning on its way to a 10-5 victory over No. 5 Florida (5-1) on Tuesday as part of the “Florida Four” Tournament in Tampa.
“I thought we were going to get a good start out of Anthony tonight — I really did,” UF coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “For whatever reason he wasn’t sharp and we got off on the wrong foot. There’s really no way to explain it. It’s just disappointing.”
DeSclafani could not find his command and even hit FSU left fielder Mike McGee with a pitch with the bases loaded to bring in to bring in Tyler Holt for the first run of the game.
“I think it was just a lack of execution on pitches,” catcher Mike Zunino said. “We can’t afford those hit by pitches because that’s just something the defense can’t defend.”
FSU’s fifth hitter, Stuart Tapley, singled up the middle to knock in two more runs, marking the end of DeSclafani’s short appearance.
He left the game after allowing all five batters he faced to reach base and eventually score.
Ten hitters came to the plate for the Seminoles in the first, and first baseman Jayce Boyd capped off the inning with a two-run homer over the left-field wall off of freshman Hudson Randall, who came in to relieve DeSclafani after he got pulled.
Junior pitcher Geoff Parker never allowed the Gators back into the game.
He came into Tuesday’s matchup with an 11.25 ERA, but that number fell as he pitched 5.1 innings and gave up only one run.
The Gators could not find their rhythm against the right-hander.
After playing five games in seven days to start the season, Florida was forced to sit around for four-consecutive days because their weekend series against La Salle was called off due to snow in the Northeast.
The rust was evident, as the Gators could not cash in on any of their opportunities to chip away at the Seminoles’ big lead.
Jonathan Pigott led off the third inning with a single, but he was caught napping on first base after taking too big of a lead.
In the same frame, Zunino hit a solo home run that would have brought in two runs if Pigott could have avoided the pickoff.
The Gators also had runners on second and third with one out in the fifth and sixth innings, but failed to bring in a run both times.
“I just think that’s (failing to hit with runners in scoring position) beginning of the year stuff,” Zunino said. “I think that’s going to be taken care of as the season goes along. It’s something that’s going to come around.”
The lone bright spot for Florida was the ninth inning.
It scored four in the frame, and center fielder Matt den Dekker extended his hitting streak to 15 games, dating back to last season, with a RBI single the in inning. But Daniel Pigott fouled out to first base with the bases loaded to end the game and UF’s comeback attempt.
