No. 14 Florida State (36-15, 17-10) went up 4-0 after four and never relinquished its lead as the Seminoles defeated Clemson (30-22, 9-18), 6-3 in Sunday’s rubber match. Today’s series win marks the first series victory at Clemson since 2014 and hands the Noles their seventh in-conference weekend win of the season.
As usual for FSU, its success started on the mound, and Bryson Moore delivered in a massive way. The UVA transfer struggled in his last month but came through when his team needed him,
firing six innings of one-run ball on just 75 pitches. Brodie Purcell also stepped up with his bullpen needing him, closing out FSU’s win with a four-out save, while striking out three batters. Micah Posey’s pitching staff only allowed two earned runs and gave up only one extra-base hit to lead the way for today’s victory.
At the plate, the Seminole offense received contributions up and down the lineup with five players recording multi-hit games, including Brody DeLamielleure, John Stuetzer, and Nathan Cmeyla providing three knocks. A three-run second did the most damage for Florida State, but the Noles put a man on in every inning and passed the baton throughout the game. Today’s scoreline could have been widened if not for Link Jarrett’s club struggling to bat with runners on base and in scoring position.
Moore worked around a lead-off single in the first before FSU jumped out in front, for the third game in a row, in the second inning. Nathan Cmeyla started off the top of the frame with a bang as he smashed a solo homer off the right-field foul pole to put the Noles ahead, 1-0. Later in the frame, Ben Barrett singled, Cal Fisher walked, and Carter McCulley drove in the second run of the inning as the bottom of the order finally came through for Florida State. In the ensuing at-bat, John Stuetzer’s sacrifice fly brought in Fisher as Florida State led, 3-0.
Moore continued rolling in the third and fourth as he faced the minimum in both innings with the help of his defense. A single to open the bottom of the third was erased with an inning-ending double play, and the same happened in the home half of the fourth as a double play retired the side.
McCulley helped push out FSU’s lead to 4-0 with a solo blast with two outs in the fourth, as his strong day at the plate continued.
Clemson took their zero off the board with a triple and a bunt that scored the runner in the bottom of the fifth, but FSU regained its four-run advantage in the top of the sixth. Barrett began the inning with a single, and McCulley reached base due to an error, putting two on with one out. Stuetzer roped a single through the left side, scoring Barrett to make it 5-1, while Brayden Dowd was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out. However, the Seminoles could not extend their lead further as DeLamilleure struck out and Hunter Carns grounded out to second.
Moore rolled through the sixth as he recorded the first two outs of the inning on six pitches and marooned a two-out single on base. Jarrett decided to end his outing after six innings and 75 pitches of one-run baseball with five hits and four strikeouts. It was just the start FSU needed with a depleted bullpen and Moore struggling in his last few outings.
The Seminoles wasted another chance in the seventh to push their lead out further as Cmeyla singled and Gabe Fraser reached on a drag bunt, but the next three Noles were retired in order. In the bottom half of the frame, Cooper Whited entered, as Jarrett was afforded the luxury of throwing him without any more midweeks. It was a strange inning, with CU getting a run back on two errors on the same play. With two outs and a runner on first, a looping popup was hit to Barrett, who missed the ball and fired a throw offline to second to try and get the runner, allowing the run to come all the way home, making it a 5-2 game.
Florida State took the run right back after threatening in the previous two innings. Stuetzer laced a lead-off double to the opposite field and came home on an RBI single from DeLamielleure, who chopped a base knock back up the middle.
However, Clemson would not go away. Whited looked to be rolling through the home half of the eighth, picking up the first two outs of the inning, but started to leak oil. A walk and a hit batter with two strikes put two on with two outs, bringing Jarren Purify to the plate. Purify battled after falling behind 0-2, and punched an RBI single up the middle to whittle FSU’s advantage down to 6-3. Brodie Purcell was summoned to finish off the frame and needed only three pitches for a strikeout to extinguish the threat, giving FSU a three-run lead heading into the ninth.
Florida State’s cold day at the plate with runners in scoring position continued in the final inning as the Noles loaded the bases, but could not bring a run in, making it 15 left on base and Florida State finishing the day 3-15 (.200) with runners in scoring position. But Purcell would make sure that stat did not matter as the righty sat down the first two batters of the inning and marooned a two-out walk to lock down the Seminoles’ 6-3 win and series victory over Clemson.
