Just when it appeared Florida State was headed towards a second straight nailbiter vs. No. 10 NC State on Saturday, the offense broke through.
The 11th-ranked Seminoles (18-4, 4-1 ACC) used a six-run sixth inning highlighted by Brayden Dowd’s grand slam to run away with a 11-5 win over the Wolfpack (18-5, 3-2), setting up a Sunday afternoon rubber match at Dick Howser Stadium.
The first four batters of the FSU sixth reached on a pair of singles sandwiched around a walk before Dowd’s fifth homer of the season
broke the game wide open, extending the FSU lead to 9-4.
FSU added two more runs on a Kelvyn Paulino Jr. double and a John Stuetzer single, coasting to the win after Friday’s 6-4 setback in the opener.
Myles Bailey sparked the offense early in the win, opening the scoring with a two-run homer in the first and adding a solo homer in the fifth. He just missed a third homer by a matter of feet in the seventh inning which would have ended the game by run rule if it had gotten out.
Still, Bailey finished the day 3-for-4 with a double and a walk. He’s up to 12 homers on the season — over one per two games — and has five bombs in the last four games and eight in the last nine.
Stuetzer was also 3-for-4, scoring a pair of runs. All nine members of the lineup had a hit as the Seminoles racked up 14 hits and plated more earned runs off NC State starter Jacob Dudan (eight) than he had allowed all season (seven in 31 1/3 innings).
It was good for the team the offense had such an explosive day as it was another suboptimal defensive showing from the middie infield.
FSU committed three errors, two from shortstop Cal Fisher and one from second baseman Eli Putnam. Those led to three of the four runs FSU starter Trey Beard allowed over his 3 1/3 innings being unearned.
The most significant error was Fisher’s bobbled grounder when NC State had the bases loaded with two outs in the fourth. That cut the FSU lead to 3-2 and the ensuing batter put the Wolfpack ahead with a two-run single to center.
That lead proved to be short-lived as Fisher redeemed himself slightly and tied the game with an RBI groundout in the bottom of the fourth and retook the lead in the fifth on Bailey’s second homer.
NC State’s lineup made Beard work, tagging him for six hits and four walks in his abbreviated outing. But he escaped the first three jams unscathed, before NC State chased him in the fourth.
In total, NC State stranded 11 runners on base through the first five innings, before Brodie Purcell provided some stability out of the FSU bullpen. He tossed the final four innings, allowing one run on three hits with five strikeouts and no walks to secure an extended save.
FSU’s pitching staff issued six walks, but also struck out 12 and stranded 13 runners. NC State finished 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position (.143).
The rubber match is scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m. Bryson Moore (3-0, 3.57 ERA) will get the start for FSU against a TBD starter for NC State.
