JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – In a pitcher’s duel, No. 12 Florida State dropped a 4-1 contest to No. 9 Florida.
In front of 8,924 fans at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville, the Gators (17-9) received a strong pitching performance from Garrett Milchin to defeat the Seminoles. The freshman tossed 4.1 innings of shutout baseball giving up just two hits in his outing.
For the Noles (18-8), Andrew Karp received the start and after a tough first inning, pitched exceptionally well for FSU. The redshirt junior, out of Winter Park, Fla., lasted four innings, giving up five hits and four earned runs.
The righty struck out five UF batters on the evening.
"To have been through what he’s been through (with the car accident), he’s a warrior,” FSU coach Mike Martin said. “It can definitely help him (getting back on track), he’ll be ready to go for his next start.”
The Gators scored four runs in the first inning after an RBI single from J.J. Schwarz and a three-run home run to left field from Mike Rivera.
“I thought we were going to get out of it, but we just happened to make a mistake pitch,” Martin said. “It happens every night in the big leagues.”
In the sixth inning, the Seminoles scratched the scoreboard after Quincy Nieporte doubled down the left field line and Rhett Aplin drove him in with an RBI single up the middle, giving FSU its only run of the contest.
Over the final eight innings, the Seminoles’ pitchers held the Gators scoreless giving up just two hits, while striking out eight in the process.
At the plate, Jacksonville native J.C. Flowers led the way for FSU going 2 for 4 with a pair of singles.
Florida State next hosts No. 8 North Carolina for a three-game series at Dick Howser Stadium this weekend in Tallahassee.
“This is a proud ball club, they’re not happy,” Martin said of his team’s knack to bounce back after tough losses.
“We’re about to have a very challenging stretch of games. We’ll see what comes of it.”
Post game notes:
