JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The No. 10 Florida State baseball team fell to Florida 5-0 on Tuesday night at VyStar Ballpark in Jacksonville, Florida.
The Seminoles (19-5) were shut out for the first time this season. The matchup against the Gators (20-6) was the second of three between the in-state rivals, with Tuesday’s neutral-site contest played at the MiLB home of the Triple-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.
FSU had four hits with two errors and seven left on base while UF had five hits, one error and stranded 10.
Junior left-handed starter Cooper Whited suffered his first loss of the year and is 1-1. He allowed one run on three hits with four strikeouts and no walks in 3.2 innings.
On a cool evening with consistent wind and light rain, Florida’s first run came in the second. Four more came in the seventh to round out the game’s scoring.
Whited struck out two in a perfect first. UF took a 1-0 lead in the second on a sacrifice bunt following a one-out triple and a fielding error. A strikeout ended the inning and left two on.
A single up the middle by freshman third baseman Will Bavaro was FSU first hit in the third. An error put two on, but a lineout ended the scoring chance. Whited did not allow a hit in the bottom half. Junior righty Cole Stokes got the last out of the fourth to leave a runner on. A nice throw from freshman right fielder John Stuetzer to throw out a runner at third got the second out.
Stokes got a strikeout to end the fifth and leave the bases loaded.
Freshman designated hitter Kelvyn Paulino Jr. tripled in the sixth and an intentional walk put two on, but a fielder’s choice groundout prevented Florida State from tying the score. Stokes followed with a perfect sixth, with two strikeouts.
Florida extended its lead to 5-0 in the seventh, with back-to-back singles bringing in the final three runs.
Both teams left a runner on in the eighth.
A walk and a one-out single put two on in the ninth for the Seminoles, but consecutive strikeouts ended the game.
Florida State returns home this weekend to host Duke from March 27-29 at Dick Howser Stadium. The series begins on Friday, March 27, at 6 p.m. ET, followed by a 2 p.m. contest on Saturday that will be broadcast live on ACC Network. Sunday’s finale is at 1 p.m. Limited tickets are available at Seminoles.com/Tickets.
For more information on Florida State baseball, check Seminoles.com for the latest news and scheduling information, and keep up with the team on social media through Twitter/X and Facebook (@FSUBaseball) & Instagram (@NoleBaseball).
