JACKSONVILLE—Florida came inches keeping Florida State from scoring the go-ahead run at The Baseball Grounds. Reactions from both teams told the story. Soft-hitting Florida State shortstop Giovanny Alfonzo raised his right fist in the air in celebration as he crossed first base after singling home Jose Brizuela. The bubble burst in the Florida dugout. After eight-and-a-half innings of sticking with the nation’s No. 2 team, the Gators fell short again.
While an infield hit up the middle past a diving Casey Turgeon decided the game, it shouldn’t go unnoticed how Florida arrived at a position to win. Freshman left-hander Danny Young tossed four innings in relief against a patient Seminoles lineup.
If it weren’t a balk in the eighth that moved the deciding run 90 feet closer to home, Young would’ve had an appearance he could be hang his hat on.
Minor miscues that don’t show up in the box score ended up dampening an otherwise effective outing. Besides the balk, Young tossed a first-pitch slider to Brizuela for a ball. The sophomore guessed fastball the next pitch and doubled down the right-field line. A 0-1 count gives Young options. Something he didn’t have his second pitch to Brizuela who turned into the winning run.
The left-hander has become a go-to middle relief option. He entered in the fourth following three innings from freshman Tucker Simpson. Against Vanderbilt, he retired four of five batters he faced in the sixth and seventh on Friday in addition to striking out the only batter he faced on Sunday.
While the result didn’t end as planned, O’Sullivan praised the freshman that’s moved from one of the last guys out to a key bullpen contributor.
“I’m really pleased and proud of how he competed and threw the ball,” O’Sullivan said. “It’s just unfortunate the leadoff double. That’s how close these things are.”
Weaver shuts down Gators’ offense: Holding Florida State to seven hits usually means a victory. For Florida, it meant its second-straight loss to its in-state rival.
Right-hander Luke Weaver continued his stellar sophomore season for Florida State with a six-inning performance. He matched a career high with nine strikeouts and pitched at least six innings for the fifth time this season. Jonathon Crawford, with his three six-inning plus outings, represents the only Florida starter who has done that in 2013.
“He threw strikes. He threw secondary pitches for strikes. He did a good job,” O’Sullivan said. “To put in perspective, I think we struck out nine times all weekend against Vanderbilt and we struck out nine times tonight. He deserves a lot of credit.”
Weaver mixed in a sharp slider to compliment a live low-90s fastball. Three other relievers held Florida hitless for three innings. Bryant Holtmann gave a different look as a left-hander. Gage Smith features a sidearm release point from the right side, and right-hander Robbie Coles overpowered Florida in the ninth for his fifth save.
Coles emerged as the closer when he converted a four-out save against Florida on March 12. Weaver picked up the win in Gainesville two weeks ago by not allowing an earned run in 6.1 innings.
“You obviously look at what has been the story most of the year, and that has been our pitching. It was a game where we got crucial relief work,” Florida State coach Mike Martin said. “ What can you say more than Luke Weaver with the outing he had? I ‘aint looked at numbers, but to strikeout nine in six innings? That’s a very good baseball team and then to come in with Holtmann, Smith and Coles, that was exciting.”
Early blunders frustrate coach: Lack of communication sparked a meeting in the Florida dugout after the first inning. O’Sullivan made sure his team knew he wasn’t happy.
Weaver struck out two of his first three batters for a smooth 14-pitch inning. Left fielder Connor Mitchell and centerfielder Harrison Bader collided while attempting to catch a shallow fly ball from Josh Delph to start the bottom half. The ball tailed towards Mitchell off Delph’s left-handed bat.
First baseman Vickash Ramjit and second baseman Josh Tobias couldn’t catch a foul ball down the right field line later in the inning. It landed on the pitcher’s mound in the open bullpen in foul territory. Ramjit made more of an aggressive play with an over-the-shoulder attempt, but didn’t get in position to haul it in.
“I just wasn’t pleased with how we were playing in the first inning. I thought we were playing on our heels,” O’Sullivan said. “Playing a rival we need to come out of the gates playing like I think we’re capable of playing. I didn’t think we did that in the first inning.”
Contact Adam Pincus at apincus@alligator.org.
Left-handed pitcher Danny Young (15) warms up between innings during Florida’s 4-1 loss to Florida State on March 12 at McKethan Stadium. The freshman allowed two hits in four innings against the Seminoles on Tuesday night.
