ChompTalk.com

Final: Florida 8, Florida A&M 0

At no point was Sunday’s game against Florida A&M in question as the Gators pounded out seven runs in the first three innings. Yet, the entire (socially distanced) crowd was still in attendance in the bottom of the eighth.

That’s because Florida leadoff hitter Jacob Young was still searching for a hit. Young had reached base in two of his previous at-bats (on an error and a hit-by-pitch), but entered the batter’s box 0-3 on the afternoon.

Young watched three balls go by and fouled one pitch away before taking a 3-1 hack that darted to the left of second base. The FAMU shortstop moved over, then in and the ball went right beneath his glove and into centerfield.

The time it took for the official scoring to post to the scoreboard seemed like an eternity, probably because it should have been an error. Instead, the scorer gave Young the hit and extended his hitting streak to a program record 30, surpassing Tim Olson’s mark from the 2000 season. Furthermore, he is just the seventh player in SEC history to reach 30 straight.

Don’t make much of the scoring decision, though. Jacob Young earned his place in Gators history. In the first inning, Young easily could have been given a hit on a ball that was bobbled by the Rattlers’ third baseman. Young’s speed was the likely cause of the error. Young also scored twice, once again playing catalyst to a dynamic offensive effort.

Florida blanked the Rattlers behind easily the best start of Hunter Barco’s season as he went five scoreless innings and matched a career high with nine strikeouts and one walk.

The Gators’ bullpen tossed four inning, only giving up three hits and two walks. Franco Aleman closed the series with a perfect inning of work that included two strikeouts and no walks.

Jud Fabian homered into the FAMU bullpen in the first to open the scoring while Nathan Hickey added a two run double in the second to increase the lead to 5-0. A Colby Halter double in the fifth plated Sterlin Thompson to complete the scoring.

Pitching Decision:

• W: Barco (1-1)
• L: Josh Hancock (0-3)

Individual Stats:

• Young: 1-4, 2 R, 30-game hitting streak
• Fabian: 2-4, HR, 2 RBI
• Hickey: 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI
• Halter: 2-4, 2B, RBI
• Barco: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 9 K, BB

What’s Next:

Florida will face Georgia State on Tuesday in midweek action and will follow that with a contest against Stetson on Wednesday.

The Tigers are 4-9 on the season but have some impressive wins on their resume. The beat No. 14 West Virginia twice, No. 2 Vanderbilt once, and No. 10 Georgia Tech by a 10-1 final. They were swept by No. 17 Tennessee this weekend, however.