Florida Gators baseball started the 2022 season with a 7-2 victory over the Liberty Flames on Friday.
Left-handed sophomore Hunter Barco pitched six strong innings for the Gators on opening night, allowing the offense to take a 3-0 lead before turning things over to the bullpen. Barco’s first inning set the tone for the evening. He needed only 11 pitches to get each of the first three batters to strike out swinging.
Barco finished the night with a career-high 11 strikeouts and took a no-hitter into the sixth inning. His only walk of the evening also came in the sixth. Expected to be the ace of the team this season, Barco certainly looks like it in his first outing of the year.
Right fielder Sterlin Thompson provided most of the offense with two home runs, including a grand slam in the bottom of the seventh. Those four insurance runs proved to be crucial after redshirt freshman Nick Ficarrotta surrendered two runs in the eighth inning.
๐๐ฅ๐๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ ๐! ๐ช๐ป@sterlin_4 breaks it open with his second long ball of the night!
LU 0, UF 7 | B7#GoGators | ๐บ: https://t.co/ukWLlTTwQf pic.twitter.com/h0vQPY1XnN
— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) February 19, 2022
Closing the game out became a two-man effort when freshman Phillip Abner loaded the bases with back-to-back walks. Ryan Slater came in to secure the final two outs of the ball game.
Although Thompson was the big bat of the night, several other Gators hit well in the win. Left fielder Wyatt Langford put the Gators up 2-0 with a solo homer in the second inning, and third baseman Deric Fabian got his first hit as a Gator.
Jud Fabian finished the evening 0-2, but he scored in the first after being hit by a pitch and was robbed of an extra-base hit by Liberty centerfielder Derek Orndorff in one of the better defensive plays of the night. While Fabian was able to avoid the strikeout bug, shortstop Josh Rivera fanned three times against the Flames.
Florida’s opening night win was a good way to kick off the season after a rather disappointing end to 2021. Barco looks ready to be at the top of the rotation, and the offense is picking right back up where it left off after losing some key starters.
The Gators are back at it on Saturday against the Flames at 4 p.m. EST. Left-handed pitcher Timmy Manning is on the bump for Florida.
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