Gators walk-off winners on Sterlin Thompson's two-run blast
Sterlin Thompson had seen two consecutive sliders and guessed he’d see another one. No. 20 Florida State left-hander Andrew Armstrong did just that but didn’t find his spot. Thompson barreled up the hanging slider and parked it over the berm in right field for a two-run walk-off home run. The homer gave the Florida Gators a 7-5 win Tuesday night and clinched the series victory over FSU.
“They brought in the lefty and I knew he was going to come in slider. He landed it the first pitch. Then he missed and I knew he was going to come back with it,” Thompson said. “He did. It hung up a little bit, a hanging slider and I put a good swing on it. It was probably one of the best moments of my life on the baseball field.”
Thompson came to the plate 0-2 with two strikeouts and a walk on the night. A moment like that at the end of the game erases anything else you had done up to that point. The junior noted that it was his first walk-off home run at any level.
The ninth inning was filled with suspense in both frames. Tyler Nesbitt had entered the game in the sixth inning and retired 10-straight Seminoles before surrendering a bunt single in the ninth inning. Kevin O’Sullivan lifted Nesbitt for Ryan Slater. The closer got Tyler Martin to ground into a fielder’s choice. The Gators called time after the play but it wasn’t granted. That allowed Martin to take second base during the confusion, putting the go-ahead run in scoring position.
Slater would get Jordan Carrion to fly out to right field before Thompson’s fireworks at the end of the game.
Early inning runs for Gators and Noles
The Gators (33-19) were first on the board. Wyatt Langford blasted a solo home run in his first at bat to give Florida a 1-0 lead. The Noles would jump all over Nick Ficarrotta in the second. Brett Roberts doubled and Jaime Ferrer gave FSU a 2-1 lead with a home run. A walk, foul out, and double later and FSU had a 3-1 advantage.
Langford was back at it again in his second at bat. The sophomore smacked a 3-1 offering over the wall in right-center for his second home run of the game and 19th of the season. Florida wasn’t done scoring yet.
Sterlin Thompson was hit by a pitch before two quick outs. Josh Rivera worked a two-out walk and he and Thompson moved up 90 feet on a wild pitch, which allowed both of them to score when Jac Caglianone singled through the right side to give Florida a 4-3 lead. Ty Evans doubled to right field to plate Caglianone and make it 5-3.
Pitching takes over
The early fireworks fizzled in the middle innings. Florida State wouldn’t record a hit in the fifth, sixth, seventh, or eighth innings. The Gators were also held hitless from the fourth inning until Wyatt Langford’s two-out single in the bottom of the ninth. The Noles threw Jonah Scolaro and Davis Hare during that span, while the Gators threw Fisher Jameson, Blake Purnell, Tyler Nesbitt, and Ryan Slater to close the game out.
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