No. 6/8 Gators baseball tops No. 5/4 Seminoles 8-5

Squaring off for the second of four times over the course of the season, No. 6/8 Florida Gators baseball (13-3) avenged a 10-5 loss on March 2 in Tampa, FL, taking down the No. 5/4 Florida State Seminoles (13-3) 8-5 at McKethan Stadium in Gainesville, FL.

Freshman starter Hudson Randall was knocked around for five runs in the game’s first two innings with his biggest mistake coming on a three-run home run by FSU outfielder Mike McGee in the top of the first. Florida responded with a two-run shot by junior second baseman Josh Adams in the bottom of the inning, but Randall would give those back in the top of the next frame. He would eventually settle down and pitch two shutout innings before being pulled.

The Gators’ answered back with a run in the third and three more in the fourth to permanently take the lead. Sophomore Nick Mardone (1-0) picked up the win with two hitless innings in relief as junior closer Kevin Chapman (S3) continued his hot streak by grabbing a three-inning save.

The top of Florida’s order – senior OF Matt den Dekker (3-5), Adams (2-4) and sophomore first baseman Preston Tucker (2-3) – combined to go 7-12 with seven RBI and four runs. Freshman OF Kamm Washington went 3-3 in the eight hole, scoring every time he stepped on base.

Gators baseball will continue its 11-game home stand with a three-game series against the Mississippi State Bulldogs to open Southeastern Conference play. The series begins Fri., March 19 and continues through the weekend.

Photo Credit: Tricia Coyne/Gainesville Sun