Florida might be one of the best weekend teams in the country, but the middle of the week continues to be a mystery for the Gators. On Tuesday, UF fell, 14-3, to Florida State in eight innings.
A run-rule loss is hard enough to swallow, but doing so to an in-state rival while both teams are ranked in the top 25 makes it even tougher.
Florida, which acted as the home team, kept pace with FSU through three innings, matching a three-run first with a Jac Caglianone home run that snuck over the wall in left field. But the ‘Noles came to hit and added runs in each of the final five innings.
More bullpen woes
Kevin O’Sullivan threw freshman right-hander Alex Philpott again to see Florida State for a second time. Philly went 3 1/3 innings and looked decent, but his final line of five earned runs on seven hits and just one strikeout isn’t ideal.
Ryan Slater took over in the fourth but couldn’t stop that fifth run from coming through. Sully went back to the bullpen in the fifth, using Blake Purnell for one batter and Frank Menendez to close out the frame. Menendez nearly made it through the sixth, but he gave up two runs with two outs, bringing in Fisher Jameson.
Grayson was the final arm out of the bullpen. He gave up five runs, including a grand slam, putting the run rule into effect.
No offense
Meanwhile, Florida couldn’t figure out any of the FSU arms. Caglianone’s homer and a double later on made up two of the three Gators hits, and Florida struck out 13 times on the night.
The series is lost, but Florida can make a statement in Tallahassee by avoiding the sweep on April 9. That game will air on ESPN 2.
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