TALLAHASEE — The game should have been a feast for the Gators.
Florida’s offense was coming off a nine-run performance Sunday, and the team was facing a pitcher making his second-career start. But Scott Sitz left the Gators (23-9, 8-4 Southeastern Conference) hungry.
Sitz, a freshman from Jacksonville Beach Fletcher High, allowed only one earned run on four hits in six innings to lead No. 6 Florida State (26-7, 10-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) to a 3-2 win against No. 7 Florida on Tuesday night.
“(Sitz) didn’t misfire,” UF coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “When they asked him to throw the ball over the inner half, he threw over the inner half. He didn’t miss over the plate. When they asked him to throw away, he located. It’s as simple as that. He did a nice job.”
UF averaged 6.8 runs per game entering Tuesday, but Sitz held Florida hitless for the first three innings.
“He really pitched with tremendous poise,” FSU coach Mike Martin said. “I think I have a new nickname to start with that guy, because if that’s not ‘Bulldog,’ I don’t know what is. He really got after it.”
Sitz’s only trouble came in the fourth, when he gave up back-to-back hits to Preston Tucker and Austin Maddox, who both scored later in the frame. The freshman also hit Jonathan Pigott twice but recovered.
“That’s a great lineup that the University of Florida has, and what impressed me the most was he went out there under control and pitched. He didn’t throw,” Martin said. “He hit a guy but didn’t lose his composure.”
In six relief appearances earlier in the year, Sitz allowed a combined three earned runs in 9.1 innings. FSU coach Mike Martin rewarded him by naming Sitz the Seminoles’ starter April 7 against North Florida.
Sitz was just as effective then as he was Tuesday, although facing the Gators in front of 6,526 fans motivated him more.
“Getting the start against Florida, that’s real exciting,” he said. “I had a lot of adrenaline going throughout the game.”
