Tyler Nesbitt and Philip Abner combined for eight innings of shutout ball while Jac Caglianone went 4-for-5 with a grand slam and five RBI.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 6 Florida tossed a combined two-hit shutout of Florida Atlantic to claim an 11-0 victory in eight innings, capping off a midweek sweep at Condron Family Ballpark on Wednesday night.
Mixing up the script, Gators hurlers were in fact the story of the game on Wednesday. Starting pitcher Tyler Nesbitt<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/tyler-nesbitt/15500> and southpaw Philip Abner<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/philip-abner/15488> combined for eight innings of shutout ball, holding the Owls (7-6) to just two hits and one walk. Florida Atlantic did not record a hit after the first inning.
In what proved to be a pitchers’ duel in the early going, both teams traded zeros through the first two frames. Nesbitt blanked the Owls again in the third, allowing the Gators (12-3) offense to take a 1-0 lead in the bottom half on an infield single by Jac Caglianone<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/jac-caglianone/15489>.
Florida tacked on three more runs in the fourth. Colby Halter<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/colby-halter/15495> singled home Michael Robertson<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/michael-robertson/15505>, with Luke Heyman<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/luke-heyman/15522> also crossing home as a result of a throwing error in right field. Halter advanced all the way to third on the play and later scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Cade Kurland<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/cade-kurland/15514>.
Nesbitt retired 11 Owls in a row from the end of the first into the top of the fifth, until a fielding error at second base broke the streak. The right-hander quickly retired the next two batters to end the frame before ceding duties to Abner in the sixth.
BT Riopelle<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/bt-riopelle/15503> kept the bats hot in the inning to follow, doubling off the left-field wall to bring home Josh Rivera<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/josh-rivera/15504> and Caglianone. Riopelle then crossed home on a funky double-steal play, pushing the lead to 7-0.
Abner held the momentum on the mound upon his entry, working two clean frames while striking out one. He allowed a lone walk in the eighth, but finished with three scoreless innings of relief – a new career high.
For the third time this season, the Gators called game in the bottom of the eighth. Florida loaded the bases on a Kurland single sandwiched between a pair of walks by Halter and Wyatt Langford<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/wyatt-langford/15497>, bringing Caglianone to the dish. On a 0-1 offering, Caglianone unloaded for a grand slam to right field, effectively ending the contest at 11-0 via the run rule.
Nesbitt (1-0) earned his first victory of the season, shutting out FAU across a career-high five innings. He allowed two hits and did not issue a walk, tying his career high with six strikeouts.
Abner nailed down his first-career save, firing three shutout innings with one walk and one strikeout.
FAU reliever Max Matzolf (2-1) was charged with the loss after allowing four runs (three earned) in two innings. He coughed up four hits and two walks, striking out one. Owls starting pitcher Tyler Murphy received the no-decision, tossing two scoreless frames with one hit allowed and two strikeouts.
Caglianone paced the offense, finishing 4-for-5 with one home run, two doubles, five RBI and two runs. Halter (2-for-3) was the only other Gator to pick up multiple hits in the victory.
NOTABLES
* Florida’s 11-0 shutout of FAU marked the team’s second shutout of the season (Feb. 19 vs. CSU, 8-0) and the first against FAU since June 6, 2010 (15-0).
* The Gators have now won five games via the 10-run rule this season including three after eight innings.
* Caglianone’s game-ending grand slam marked his 11th home run of the season, which is tied for the NCAA lead.
* Caglianone finished with a career-high four hits, going 4-for-5 with one home run, two doubles, five RBI and two runs.
* Nesbitt blanked the Owls across five innings in his first start of 2023, retiring 11 batters from the first until the fifth.
* The final 14 batters went 0-for-14 against Nesbitt.
* Nesbitt set a career high with five innings pitched while tying his personal best of six strikeouts.
* Abner pitched a career-high three innings and did not allow a hit or a run, earning the first save of his career.
* Florida continued its streak of scoring six-plus runs in every game this season.
* Florida and Wake Forest are the only teams to have done so in every game in 2023.
* Rivera and Langford extended their team-leading reached base streaks to 15 games apiece, as the duo has reached safely in every game so far this season.
* Three other Gators also have double-digit reached base streaks: Kurland (13), Caglianone (13) and Robertson (12).
* Florida has struck out 170 batters in 128 innings – translating to 12.0 per nine innings.
* Through 15 games, Florida has a run differential of plus-93.
* The Gators have scored in 72 of 122 batted innings this season (59.0%).
* For the 13th time in 15 games this year, the Gators recorded double-digit hits.
* The Gators have a nation-leading 186 hits through 15 games (12.4 hits/game).
* The Gators improve to 26-10 all-time against the Owls including 20-8 at home.
* Florida rises to 13-5 vs. FAU under Head Coach Kevin O’Sullivan<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/coaches/kevin-o-sullivan/1551> featuring a 10-5 record in home matchups.
FROM HEAD COACH KEVIN O’SULLIVAN
On Nesbitt’s outing…
“I thought he was really good. It was important for us to get through the first inning and we got through that. We knew he would throw strikes and he had the ability to slow the ball down to those left-handed hitters. I thought he did an outstanding job. The second time through the order, he started throwing his fastball in on the right-handers and the left-handers and got them off his off-speed. He was really good.”
On Abner and the offense…
“That’s two nights in a row for Philip. I’m really pleased with where he’s going and the direction he’s going. That’s a really good FAU hitting team. We saw some different looks and offensively, not an easy night to hit. I thought Josh [Rivera] hit some balls that might have went out on most nights and obviously [Jac Caglianone<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/jac-caglianone/15489>] had the four-hit night and hit the grand slam there to end it. Colby Halter<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/colby-halter/15495> had a good night at the plate. He had two hits. It was a good game. It was a really good game for us.”
On Nesbitt’s pitch count and role…
“He hadn’t had the opportunity to throw very much. Keep in mind he’s coming off of Tommy John too, so sometimes those things take a little bit of time. He threw really good against a really good FAU team. He certainly pitched well and certainly the better you pitch, the more you pitch, as simple as that. As far as the role’s concerned, I don’t know at this point, but he certainly pitched well tonight.”
UP NEXT
Florida welcomes Siena to Gainesville for a three-game weekend series spanning from Friday, March 10 through Sunday, March 12. All three games will stream on SEC Network+.
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