The No. 5 Gators got off to an inauspicious start against Stetson on Wednesday night at Florida Ballpark.
Highly touted freshman lefty Timmy Manning made his first career start. The Hatters smacked him around to the tune of five runs on five hits in just 1 2/3 innings. The Gators stranded runners in scoring position in each of the first two innings. The game had the feel of one of those midweek contests that gets away from the Gators as young arms struggle to hit their spots.
“We know stuff like that happens,” catcher Nathan Hickey said.