The Florida State baseball team is ranked No. 1 in the nation, but it can’t lay claim to being the best in its own state.
Not
after the No. 4 Florida Gators defeated the Seminoles 6-3 on Tuesday
night to earn a regular-season sweep of the series in front of 6,730 at
Dick Howser Stadium.
It’s the first time since 1958 Florida has swept FSU in the regular season.
“There’s
certainly a lot of frustration here,” Florida State head coach Mike
Martin said, pointing to his chest. “But I know we’ve got a good
baseball team. (Florida) just got it done three times against us. We
didn’t give them anything. They went out and got it done.”
It was the third straight game in which the Seminoles jumped out to an early lead only to have the Gators storm back.
All-American
catcher Mike Zunino launched a game-tying two-run homer in the fifth,
and Nolan Fontana and Brian Johnson added solo blasts in the later
innings to help give Florida its first series sweep since the Dwight
Eisenhower administration.
“It’s pretty frustrating,” FSU second
baseman Devon Travis said. “It’s the biggest game of the year for me and
a lot of other guys. We don’t like those guys. It’s not that we don’t
like them as people, but it’s the Gators.
“Anytime you get swept by a team it hurts. It being the Gators doesn’t help any.”
The
Gators can relate. They weren’t swept the last two seasons by FSU, but
they had lost seven of nine heading into this year, including an
elimination game at the 2010 College World Series.
“I can honestly
tell you, the first couple of years, it was tough,” said Zunino. “They
really had our number. To come out and play well against them is a good
feeling.”
Florida State jumped out to a one-run lead in the bottom
of the first when Travis blistered a 3-1 pitch over the center-field
fence for his third homer of the year. The Seminoles then added two more
in the third when Travis scored on a wild throw by Zunino, and James
Ramsey then touched home on a sacrifice fly from Stephen McGee.
The Seminoles had three runs and six hits off Florida starter Brian Johnson.
Then had exactly one hit the rest of the way off the Gators’ bullpen.
Florida
freshman Ryan Harris, who had pitched just six innings all season,
threw three perfect frames on Tuesday night. He induced groundouts from
the first eight FSU hitters he saw and then struck out the ninth.
“He
threw a very heavy baseball,” Martin said. “Sunk the ball well … and
Florida is very good defensively. And if you put the ball on the ground,
they’re going to make the play.”
With a 3-1 lead in the fifth
inning and a runner on first, FSU starter Scott Sitz got two quick
strikes on Zunino. He also induced a pop up foul that landed in the
Seminoles’ dugout — just a few feet from being the second out of the
inning.
Two pitches later the Florida All-American crushed a hanging breaking ball into the scoreboard in left to tie the game.
“Just
one of those things,” Martin said. “It happens every night in the Major
Leagues. Happened to be a bad pitch. Scotty threw very well. Was very
proud of that bulldog.”
Sitz wound up allowing eight hits and
three earned runs in five innings, but was able to work out of two
bases-loaded jams as well in his second straight start against the
Gators.
Freshman Luke Weaver allowed a home run but was otherwise
dominant for the Seminoles — striking out five in 2 2/3 innings of
relief.
“He pitched very well,” said Martin, who picked up his
1,700th career win on Sunday. “That’s a very positive part of the game
for us.”
Closer Robert Benincasa pitched the ninth for the
Seminoles and allowed just his second earned run of the season — a long
home run by Johnson.
Florida finished with 12 hits, while FSU finished with seven.
But
maybe most importantly, Gator pitchers issued just one walk the entire
night. Coming into the game, Florida State was second in the country in
base-on-balls.
“I really like competing against them,” Florida
head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “In order to beat them, you have to
play your best. You can’t come in here and play poorly and expect to
come out on the good side of things.
“Mike Martin’s record speaks
for itself. His assistants do a great job … 1,700 wins. I know I won’t
be around for 1,700 wins. That’s an unbelievable accomplishment.
Martin
will go for 1,701 on Friday when the Seminoles (27-6) travel to Boston
College to open up a three-game series against the Eagles.
