Next Game: at Vanderbilt 4/13/2017 | 9 PM ESPNU Gator IMG Sports Network

Kevin O'Sullivan

GAINESVILLE, Fla.—Florida used two big innings at the plate and held on in the end to beat Florida State 10-7 on Tuesday night in Tallahassee in the final game of the Fresh from Florida Sunshine Showdown series.Florida (22-11, 6-6 SEC) scored four runs in the second inning and six more in the fourth and the bullpen pieced it together to limit Florida State (21-14, 7-8 ACC) just enough.'s three-run double in the fourth blew the game open andhad a career-high four RBI on three hits. Hicks is the first UF player to record four RBI in a game this season.The Gators' 10 runs were their second most on the season and most since opening weekend.The excitement started in the opening inning, as Florida State's Taylor Walls greeted freshman starterwith a leadoff home run.A two-out double from Drew Mendoza made it 2-0 in favor of the home team after the first inning.The Gators battled back immediately, scoring four runs in the second to take the lead. UF loaded the bases with one out, despite not recording a hit, andsingled to left to get Florida on the board.Hicks followed with a two-run single to put the Gators ahead and a RBI groundout fromgave UF an early 4-2 lead.FSU took advantage of a pair of Florida errors in the bottom of the inning to get one run back then tied the game in the third on a RBI single from Cal Raleigh.Florida blew it open in the fourth with perhaps its most productive inning of the season. Three straight hits to open the frame started the rally and the Gators added two runs on Hicks' RBI double.provided the big blow with a bases-clearing double to make it 10-4 in favor of the visiting Gators.Florida State scored two runs in the ninth inning, butclosed it out.The Gators will travel to Nashville this weekend for three games at Vanderbilt, beginning Thursday night at 9 on ESPNU."I thought we swung the bats good tonight against a really good pitcher. Deacon played really good defense, made a bunch of plays at second, and Dalton hit the ball well tonight.was outstanding, he had four RBIs and three hits.had a couple more hits and, his first day back, got on base three times and had two hits. The double by India with the bases loaded was huge for us.did a great job coming in with the bases loaded and nobody out, didn't let them score."It's great to sweep Florida State in any year, this one was done a little different than the first two. Obviously we'll take it and get on the bus and go home and get ready for Vanderbilt.""I was really trying to use him later in the game. I'm trying to get some of these young freshman to just give us an inning. An inning here, an inning there. Unfortunately we weren't able to do that. We've got to get better. Some of these freshmen just have to step up and give us something, and Rubio being a senior, we just need to get some more outs from these guys. I know our starting pitching's really good on the weekend, but these guys have got to step up and give us more. It's that simple.""We're getting there. It's a long season…the approaches are getting better. But once again, we had bases loaded there with one out and we struck out on three pitches. I don't want to nitpick, but in a game like this, if they have one more baserunner get on then we have the tying run at the plate. But it's a win. It wasn't pretty on either side, starting pitching-wise and the relief pitching early on, but we were able to have a four-run inning and a six-run inning."