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Takeaways from Florida State baseball's offensive explosion, first sweep of Florida since 2000
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- Takeaways from Florida State baseball's offensive explosion, first sweep of Florida since 2000
The good times keep on rolling for Florida State baseball.
The No. 10 Seminoles (27-5) completed their sweep of No. 24 Florida (17-15) Tuesday night, beating the Gators 19-4 in a seven-inning, run-rule victory before a sold-out crowd of 6,700.
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"The players go out there and have to try to live up to the environment," Seminoles head coach Link Jarrett said. "This team has responded in a lot of unique ways, but the response to everything going on around was as good as you can ask for."
Led by another scorching offensive display from multiple players, the win marks the Seminoles' first three-game sweep of the Gators since 2000 .
FSU notched a two-game sweep over its rivals in 2002.
The victory was Florida State's biggest against the Gators since 2001 and is the largest margin of victory in the series since Florida's 21-6 win in 1980.
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The game and sweep should provide FSU a huge boost ahead of its weekend matchup with Miami starting Thursday at Howser Stadium .
After back-to-back home runs from the first two Gators batters gave Florida 2-0 lead, FSU's offense flexed its muscle. The Seminoles scored six runs in the bottom of the first to regain the advantage and set the tone for the remainder of the game.
Scoring 13 runs in the following six innings, FSU dominated Florida and handed the Gators their fourth straight loss.
Dinges big night leads Seminoles' offensive fireworks
FSU baseball player James Tibbs gets a hit against Florida in FSU’s 19-4 win over Florida Tuesday night at Dick Howser Stadium
Tuesday night was the 14th time this season that the Seminoles have scored 10 or more runs in a game, and the third time this season against Florida .
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FSU is one of the nation's most prolific offenses and it showed why, scoring in every inning but the sixth . The Seminoles tallied 19 hits by 10 different players, including five home runs, to overpower Florida's six pitchers.
"I love to see the guys play at their highest personal level," Jarrett said.
"It says a lot about the guys, the composition of the roster, trying to piece it together for people in the right spots. That's what we are charged with doing, and its fun to watch it play out like that."
Marco Dinges led the team in five RBI, punctuated by his fourth-inning grand slam. The signee from Tallahassee Community College went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles.
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"I was definitely looking for something up in the zone. I don't want to chase anything and wanted to do damage," said Dinges about his grand slam at-bat. "I got one up and I knew it when I hit it."
Also hitting home runs for the Seminoles were Jackson West , the former Chiles star and Alabama transfer who recorded his first as a Seminole, James Tibbs , Daniel Cantu and Alex Lodise .
"That's the moment I dreamed of as a kid," West said of his first home run as a Seminole. "That's probably one of the more special moments in my entire life, not just baseball. I'm just trying to soak it up with these guys."
Tibbs, one of the best hitters in the nation, continued his tear as he went 2-for-4 with two RBI, while Cam Smith extended his on-base streak to 42 games with his 3-for-5 performance.
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Armstrong, Seminoles' bullpen calm early nerves
FSU pitcher Andrew Armstrong throws a pitch in FSU's 19-4 win over Florida on Tuesday, April 9 at Dick Howser Stadium
After Seminoles starting pitcher John Abraham allowed back-to-back home runs to UF's Cade Kurland and Jac Caglianone to lead off the game, there was a palpable tension within Howser early in the first.
Despite getting through the remainder of the opening inning unscathed, Jarrett pulled Abraham in the second inning and brought in reliever Andrew Armstrong to quell any potential Florida rally. In three innings of work, Armstrong allowed no runs and only one hit to steady the ship for the Seminoles.
"When the game needed settling, we felt like we wanted to use him," Jarrett said. "Some respects of your life revolve around the experience and trust level that you can do well in this situation, and he did a very good job."
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In total, FSU used six pitchers, allowing seven hits and four runs . Despite nearly everything working for the Seminoles in the game, the first Gators strikeout of the night didn't come until the fifth inning when Brady Louck struck out Kurland.
The Seminoles finished the night with five strikeouts, as Connor Hults recorded two to lead the way, with Jarrett saying his curveball is becoming a huge weapon.
"It's really good, it's got tremendous spin and he's confident with it," Jarrett said. "He's started to throw his fastball at a higher rate for strikes, and he's got a really good changeup, but man its a weapon and it lined up today."
The explosive offense took a lot of pressure of the bullpen against the Gators, something that has become synonymous with the Seminoles this season as the team continues to try and match its defensive output with its offensive numbers.
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FSU riding high ahead of the weekend ACC series against Miami
Tuesday's win over the Gators gave Florida State a near-perfect start to rivalry week, as the Seminoles prep for the Hurricanes coming to town this weekend.
In a battle between long-time rivals and conference foes, Florida State enters the game winning eight out of its last 10 games, including four wins over ACC opposition .
Miami enters the game with four wins and six losses in the last 10 games, most recently picking up a 14-6 win over Florida Atlantic.
Florida State enters the weekend set after scoring 51 runs in its last five games, allowing 19.
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While the sweep of Florida is a statement for this year's Seminoles, Dinges says the team is remaining focused on its ultimate goal and its opponents this weekend.
"I think it's an incredible accomplishment," Dinges said. "But, it's just a step in the road of where we're trying to go."
This is the first matchup of the season for the two programs, with Miami sweeping the Seminoles last year. First pitch between the Hurricanes and Seminoles is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 11 at Dick Howser Stadium.
Liam Rooney covers preps sports for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamroone y
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU baseball sweep Florida, offense stays hot ahead of Miami series
