Section B Online

Wednesday April 07, 2010

	AT BAT				BALL					STRIKE					OUT						H/E
		2	6			3					2					2					H
				1	2	3	4	5	6		7	8	9	10			RUNS		HITS			E
UNF				0	0	0	0	0	0		0	2	0					2		4		2
FSU				0	3	2	1	0	0		3	0	X					9	1	4		2

Noles rebound, clip Ospreys 9-2

by Corey Dowlar, Warchant.com
http://floridastate.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1072109

Video: Martin post-game Q&A following win over UNF

Florida State rebounded to defeat North Florida on Wednesday, but it may have come at an expense.

The Seminoles plated nine runs on 14 hits after scoring just one the night before in a much more productive night from the plate en route to a 9-2 victory over the Ospreys.

However, 4,626 fans bore witness to a scary sight when designated hitter Stuart Tapley came down with an apparent left knee injury after trying to avoid a tag via an off-line throw at first. Tapley was helped off the field by his teammates and has been diagnosed with a left knee sprain.

“We can’t stand to see one of our leaders go down,” said teammate Jayce Boyd. “We have to pick him back up. But when you see one of them go down, that is a strike to the gut.”

Freshman right hander Scott Sitz delivered a superb effort in his first career start handcuffing the Ospreys for six innings. The Jacksonville Beach native allowed only two hits and two walks, while striking out four batters.

Sitz, who threw a career-high 86 pitches, also recorded high’s in innings pitched and strikeouts.

“That was an outstanding outing by Sitz,” said head coach Mike Martin. “I was just very impressed. I believe that is his first start this year and for him to go out there and shut them down for six innings was quite an accomplishment.”

Sitz delivered 53 of his pitches for strikes and kept hitters off balance over the course of his outing. The freshman’s control proved to be the catalyst for what was to be a successful start.

“I was really locating the fastball good,” Sitz explained. “Kept the curveball down. I only threw about four or five changeups and kept them down too. I just hit all my spots.”

Sitz knew he was going to get Wednesday’s starting nod early in the week that really provided a boost to the Duncan U. Fletcher product.

“I was excited about that,” Sitz revealed. “Kind of after the Virginia Tech game and throwing in that game, I was really happy with that. But after that, they told me I was going to get a chance to start and it really made my day.”

First baseman Jayce Boyd powered the Seminoles lineup going 3-for-4 out of the eighth spot in the order. Boyd set a career-high for RBI in a game with four and also contributed a home run – his second of the season.

Boyd, a freshman from Cantonment, Florida, took out his frustrations from the previous night on Osprey pitching.

“Coming off last night, we were lulled to sleep to say the least,” he explained. “Coming out here and getting a couple of big hits to start the game, it felt good.

“I got into the one to right. It was a first pitch changeup. He started off the guys in front of me with first pitch changeups so I sat on it and got it pretty good.”

Florida State struggled on Tuesday to score only one run, but with a nine spot on Wednesday and 14 base hits, it provided some relief to a lineup that is looking to break out once more.

“As a team, that is huge,” Boyd said. “We have got to carry that over into the weekend and get that going.”

Florida State will hit the road this weekend for a three game set against Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, North Carolina before hosting the Florida Gators on April 13th at Dick Howser Stadium.

Click here for a complete boxscore

Section B Online Player of the Game:

Scott Sitz
6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K