FSU’s right fielder Robby Martin launched his second bomb of the evening over that wall in the sixth inning to rub more salt in the Gators’ defensive wound.
Ryan Cabarcas, and every other Gators player, coach and fan stared dejectedly at the wall in right field.
The Gators rolled into Dick Howser Stadium searching for redemption after last season’s tumultuous ending. Instead, FSU chewed and then spat them out in Tuesday night’s showdown.
Early pitching struggles and stagnant bats contributed to the Gators’ 10-2 loss against FSU on Tuesday night.
The Seminoles’ onslaught started the moment they stepped up to the plate. In the first inning, they slapped four hits off of starter Garrett Milchin. One from Martin was a three-run bomb sent over the right field fence and out of the park.
Florida’s nightmares continued in the second inning.
FSU picked up four more runs before Milchin made his exit from the game. Two doubles and a hit batter sent the first two runs home, while two singles and a stolen base sent home the final two.
The Gators’ relief staff showcased shutdown pitching until the sixth inning.
Left-hander Trey Van Der Weide stepped in after Milchin. He threw 2.2 innings and gave up just two hits and no runs. Christian Scott was the next bullpen call. The right-hander gave up no hits and no runs over 1.2 innings of work.
Once Scott left the game, the floodgates opened again. Cabarcas watched helplessly as Martin sent his second no-doubter two-run shot over the wall in right field. The next batter, Matheu Nelson, followed up with his own bomb out of the park.
Franco Aleman and Jordan Carrion closed out the game and allowed one more hit and no runs.
As far as Florida’s offense goes, there isn’t much to tell.
The Gators didn’t get any runs across the plate until the fifth inning. Josh Rivera drove a single into center field to score Florida’s first run. Young sent his own RBI single into left to send home Sterlin Thompson for the final run of the inning.
Throughout the game, FSU’s pitching staff gave up just four hits and two runs with 16 strikeouts. Freshman starter Carson Montgomery led the charge. He stunned the Gators early and dealt nine strikeouts across 4.2 innings.
The Gators will look ahead to the start of SEC play Thursday against Texas A&M.
Contact Sara Kate Dyson at skatedyson@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter @sarakatedyson
