GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The eighth-ranked Florida Gators (17-5) defeated the 21st ranked LSU Tigers (15-7) by a score of 7-2 to take the opening game of their weekend series. The Gators have now won four of their last five games.
Florida’s hot offense wasted absolutely no time getting things started. Second basemen Colby Halter took a 3-1 fastball deep to right field to give Florida a 1-0 lead. The home run was Halter’s fifth of the season. Halter continues to thrive as Florida’s leadoff man as his season average sits at a ridiculous .345.
A solo shot by BT Riopelle to right-center in the bottom of the second would help extend Florida’s lead 2-0. The home run was Riopelle’s sixth of the season. Despite the strikeout issues he has exhibited thus far, the power is legit, and it was on display in this one.
The home runs helped push Florida’s total home run count to a whopping 46 this season. Still, they are 13 behind Tennessee, who have hit the most home runs in college baseball this year.
Balls Flying off Bats for Both Sides
Florida’s biggest inning of the night came during the bottom of the fifth. Starting the scoring that inning, Jud Fabian worked an 0-2 count to 3-2 before delivering an RBI groundout to shortstop to extend Florida’s lead to three.
Fabian has been on fire to start the year, thanks to his improved plate discipline. After striking out at nearly a 33% clip last year, he has brought that number down to a much more palatable 25%.
The scoring didn’t end there, as red-hot Sterlin Thompson drove in Deric Fabian with a single to right field. The RBI was Thompson’s 20th of the season.
Wanting to get in on the offensive fun, left-fielder Wyatt Langford crushed a towering blast to left field to drive in Thompson and extend Florida’s lead to six. The home run was Langford’s ninth of the year.
LSU did everything to not be shut out. That came to fruition in the top of the eighth inning on an RBI groundout to second by Gavin Dugas to drive in Dylan Crews for LSU’s first run of the game.
The Tigers’ second and final run of the game came in the ninth inning on a leadoff home run by catcher Hayden Travinski. The home run was his first of the year.
Tale of Two Pitching Performances
On the pitching side of things for Florida, they were dominant. Starting pitcher Hunter Barco was awarded the win after he went seven shutout innings, allowing two hits and three walks while striking out eight.
The walks were uncharacteristic for Barco. Heading into this start, he had only allowed two free passes all year. That total still sits at an impressive five walks for the whole year.
Barco has been elite to start the season. He has looked like a frontline ace for this offensively strong Gators team. His ERA on the year now sits at 1.41, while he has 52 strikeouts in just 38.1 innings so far.
Florida’s bullpen was able to hold the line for the Gators. Relieving Barco after seven strong innings, Nick Ficarrotta threw two innings of two-run ball to close out the win for the Gators.
LSU, on the other hand, was not as sharp on the mound. Starting pitcher Blake Money allowed six runs on seven hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out just three.
After allowing the leadoff home run on a fastball, Money was reluctant to fall back on it the rest of the game. Instead, he mostly challenged Florida hitters with changeups and breaking pitches. Florida quickly caught on and began sitting back in the box, waiting for Money’s secondary offerings.
Closing out the game for the Tigers was Bryce Collins. Despite walking five, Collins was able to throw three innings of one-run ball, keeping the Gators off the board for the most part while escaping trouble.
Upcoming Weekend Series
The Florida Gators and LSU Tigers are in store for two more games this weekend as part of their three-game weekend series. They’ll face off at 6:30 p.m. EST on Saturday for game two. Then, the two teams will close out the series with a noon game on Sunday for game three.
 defeated the 21st ranked LSU Tigers (15-7) by a score of 7-2 to take the opening game of their weekend series. The Gators have now won four of their last five games.){kind=link}