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Cavaliers, Hultzen Hand Florida State Its First Loss, 5-0
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Behind six shutout innings from Danny Hultzen (So., Bethesda, Md.) and a four-hit, two-home run performance from Dan Grovatt (Jr., Tabernacle, N.J.), the Virginia baseball team rolled to a 5-0 victory over Florida State on Friday evening at Dick Howser Stadium in Tallahassee, Fla. With the three-hit shutout, the Cavaliers earned their first win in Tallahassee since 2005 and snapped the Seminoles’ 12-game win streak to start the season.
Both teams are ranked nationally among the top five. Virginia is ranked as high as No. 1 in the Baseball America and Rivals.com polls, while Florida State stands as high as No. 2 nationally in the Collegiate Baseball, NCBWA and USA Today/ESPN Coaches polls.
Hultzen (3-1) allowed just two hits and struck out six over six innings. He was dominating as he mowed through the first 14 Seminole batters before Sherman Johnson hit a two-out double to center field in the fifth inning to break up the perfect game. Tyler Wilson (Jr., Midlothian, Va.) and Kevin Arico (Jr., Flemington, N.J.) finished off the shutout by pitching the final three innings for Virginia. The trio of UVa pitchers combined to strike out 11 with no walks as the Cavaliers shut out FSU for the second time in school history (1-0 in 1994).
Florida State starting pitcher Sean Gilmartin (3-1) also pitched six innings, giving up four earned runs, a career-high 11 hits and three walks while fanning six. He entered the game with a 0.90 ERA through his first three starts.
Florida State (12-1, 0-1 ACC) had surrendered just two home runs through its first 12 games, but Virginia (11-2, 1-0) swatted three Friday night, with two coming from Grovatt and one from Stephen Bruno (Fr., Audubon, N.J.).
Grovatt tied his career high in hits and recorded his first career multiple-homer game. He is the first Cavalier to hit two homers in a game since Jeremy Farrell posted a pair of home runs against Georgia Tech on May 16, 2008. Overall, Grovatt was 4-for-5 with three RBI and a pair of runs scored.
Tyler Cannon (Sr., Pigeon Forge, Tenn.) and Jarrett Parker (Jr., Stafford, Va.) each added two hits for Virginia.
After leaving runners in scoring position in each of the first two innings, Virginia broke through in the third with a two-out rally. Cannon hit a single to center and moved to second on a wild pitch. Grovatt hit a dribbler off the end of the bat for an infield single, moving Cannon to third, and Steven Proscia (So., Suffern, N.Y.) followed with a grounder deep in the hole at shortstop for an infield single to score the run.
Virginia added a pair of runs in the fifth inning. Cannon doubled to left field to lead off. He scored when Grovatt pounced on a hanging Gilmartin pitch and cranked it high over the right-center field fence for his first home run of 2010.
UVa again used the long ball in the sixth inning. With one out, Bruno belted an 0-2 Gilmartin offering to right-center for his second home run of the season, giving the Cavaliers a 4-0 edge.
Grovatt hit his second home run of the game to lead off the ninth inning against reliever Hunter Scantling.
The teams will play the second game of the series at 6 p.m. Saturday. The finale is set for 1 p.m. Sunday.