FSU baseball beats USF, Whittaker shines and Tibbs and Smith stay hot

FSU baseball improved to (7-0) behind a 12-4 win over the South Florida Bulls Tuesday night in front of the home crowd at Dick Howser Stadium. Conner Whittaker earned the win, going six innings and allowing two earned runs, seven hits, zero walks, and eight strikeouts on only 52 pitches. It was a typical Whittaker outing, and what FSU will need on Sundays when they get into ACC play. The FSU offense continues to get on the board early in games, as James Tibbs launched his fourth home run this season, a two-run shot in the first inning. Jaxson West had a bases-clearing double to stretch the lead to 5-0 in the first. The Noles got on the board again in the fourth behind a two-RBI single from Cam Smith, who continues to swing a hot bat. He was 4-5 with a home run and four RBI. DeAmez Ross hit an RBI triple in the sixth inning to make it 8-2. USF scored two runs on Whittaker on back-to-back doubles in the fifth inning. Ben Barrett allowed one earned run in the top of the seventh on two hits and a wild pitch. FSU was solid defensively, turning three double plays and James Tibbs with a nice outfield assist to nail a runner at second base on a ball hit off the wall in right field.

The Noles broke the game open in the bottom of ninth on back-to-back home runs by Smith and Tibbs. Tibbs was 2-4 with two home runs and three RBI. Barrett allowed four hits in three innings, one walk, two earned runs, and had three strikeouts. The Noles will be back action Friday afternoon in the First Pitch Classic in Greenville, SC, against Illinois. They will play Michigan State Saturday and Western Michigan on Sunday before hosting FGCU in mid-week action next week.