The No. 14 ranked Florida Gators dominated on both sides of the ball en route to a 17-0 shutout win against Florida A&M for their 8th win of the season and sixth victory in a row.
The Gators wasted no time getting on the board as Jud Fabian and Sterlin Thompson hit back-to-back solo home runs in the top of the first.
The home run extended Thompson’s hit streak to 10, as he has now at least one hit in every game so far. It was Thompson’s team-leading fifth home run of the season. He finished the game three for five, continuing his stake as one of the best all-around hitters on the team.
Fabian hit his third home run of the season and second of the game in the bottom of the sixth, pushing the Gators’ lead to eight. After leading the team with 20 home runs last year, the power is expected to keep coming. He finished the game three for four with two walks and three RBI.
On the pitching side of things, Garrett Milchin got the win, pitching five shutout innings allowing just two hits and one walk while striking out two. Milchin has thrown eight innings of one-run ball thus far.
Florida’s bullpen closed out the game, firing four innings of scoreless ball. They allowed just three baserunners while striking out four.
Florida Offense Swinging Hot Bats
Freshman catcher Rene Lastres drove fellow freshman Deric Fabian in on a single back up the middle to center field. Currently fighting for playing time, Lastres has opened the season up hot after being ranked as a top-five catcher in Florida coming out of high school by Perfect Game.
Jud Fabian’s younger brother, Deric Fabian, also got in on the offensive fun, recording his first two doubles of the season in back-to-back at-bats. Deric has six hits over his last two games, including three against Florida A&M.
Pinch hitter BT Riopelle also continues to make his case for everyday at-bats. He crushed an opposite-field three-run home run to left field for his second of the season in the bottom of the fifth to give Florida a seven-run lead.
He picked up another RBI, his fourth of the game, on a single to right field giving Florida double digits runs on the night.
Shortstop Colby Halter pushed his hit streak to 10 games with a seventh-inning home run, his fourth of the season. His season average now sits at a ridiculous .429.
The Gators’ one-two-three hitters in Halter, Fabian, and Thompson are one of the deadliest trios in college baseball right now. With the rest of the lineup as hot as they are, this offense is clicking ahead of a big weekend series against the Miami Hurricanes.
Florida A&M Not Able to Get Much Going
A&M, unfortunately, could not get much going on the offensive side of things, stringing together just five hits while drawing only one walk.
Junior Ty Hanchey had himself a solid night at the plate. Hanchey went one for two with a double and the lone walk. Sophomore Joseph Pierini also had a double, finishing the game two for four.
On the pitching side of things, the game served as a positive for them. While they used a total of 10 pitchers on the night, it gave the team an opportunity to evaluate some of their incoming freshmen, including freshman Kendall Clark.
Clark, while allowing two runs on three hits in just an inning pitched, was routinely clipping the outside corners with a fastball that sat 87-88 mph. The appearance was Clark’s collegiate debut, and the stuff he has leaves room for optimism.
Starter Shawn Host lasted just one inning, allowing two runs on three hits. On the season he has allowed five earned runs in 6.2 innings pitched.
A&M’s pitching allowed 17 runs, 15 earned, on 21 hits to the Gators. The 21 hits were a season-high for the Florida Gators.
Looking Ahead
The Florida Gators (8-2) travel to Miami to take on a rival in the Miami Hurricanes (4-1) in a big three-game weekend series. The Gators will take the field Friday, March 4, and Saturday, March 5 at 7:00 pm EST. They’ll close the series out with an afternoon game on Sunday, March 6 at 12:00 pm EST.
Florida A&M (5-4) will look to get back on track after having their three-game winning streak end. They’ll take on Ball State University for a three-game weekend series. The first game will be on Friday, March 4 at 4:00 pm EST followed by a double-header on Saturday and an afternoon game at 1:00 pm EST to close out the series on Sunday, March 6.
