COLLEGE WORLD SERIES : Gators Eliminate Top-Seeded Seminoles

Two hot pitchers. Two losses. Too bad for Florida State.

Freshman right-hander Marc Valdes threw a three-hitter to lead fifth-seeded Florida to a 5-0 victory over Florida State on Sunday, eliminating the top-seeded Seminoles from the College World Series.

Valdes (13-4) struck out five, walked three and hit two batters as the Gators (50-20) stayed alive in the tournament. Florida moves into Tuesday’s elimination game against Fresno State.

Fresno State’s Bobby Jones, Collegiate Baseball’s player of the year, handed Florida State its first World Series loss Friday, 6-3.

“We went against two outstanding pitchers,” Florida State Coach Mike Martin said. “Bobby Jones and Marc worked us inside. I thought our club was as loose and confident as a typical Seminole team. We just got beat by a guy who did a great job.”

Florida Coach Joe Arnold said: “Valdes was outstanding. He had good location and he mixed his pitches well all game. He’s basically done that all season. I believe the Florida record for wins is 13 and the best thing about it is that he’s just a freshman.”

Said Valdes: “I didn’t think this was the best outing of the year. I don’t think I had a sinkerball at all today, which is why there were more fly outs and less groundouts.”

Florida, which lost three of four regular-season meetings with Florida State this season, broke open a 1-0 game in the third.

Brent Killen and Herbert Perry singled with one out, then came home on Mario Linares’ double to the right-center field fence. Bo Camposano followed with another double to right-center, scoring Linares. Camposano was thrown out trying to stretch his hit into a triple.

Brian Purvis was hit by a pitch to chase Florida State starter Tim Davis (9-2). Reliever Ricky Kimball gave up a single to Brian Duval before striking out Ted Rich to end the inning.

Pedro Grifol had the only two hits off Valdes through eight innings, a single in the second and a double in the sixth.

Pinch-hitter Tony Liebsack singled leading off the ninth but Valdes breezed through the inning after that.

Florida State pushed only one runner to third when a hit batsman, an error, a fielder’s choice and a groundout put runners at second and third with two out in the fifth.

Louisiana State 15, Fresno State 3--Timing, Louisiana State learned, is everything. And for Fresno State (42-22), time might be running out.

“It couldn’t have happened at a better time,” said Chris Moock, who had three of the Tigers’ 15 hits and drove in three runs.

Mike Sirotka gave up five hits through six innings for LSU and Gary Hymel hit two home runs and had three runs batted in.

Sirotka, who gave way to reliever Mark LaRosa in the seventh, earned his 11th victory without a loss this season for fourth-seeded LSU (53-18). LaRosa went two innings and Rick Green pitched the ninth.

The Tigers advance to Wednesday’s semifinal round against the Fresno State-Florida winner.