Entering the weekend, Florida State needed to sweep Stanford to avoid a ding to its RPI.
Now, after an 8-7 loss in extra innings, the Seminoles need a Sunday win to avoid getting swept by a team that began the series ranked No. 126 and sitting below .500.
Florida State, after seeing its bats fall flat in a series-opening loss on Friday, went hitless across the first two innings, going through the entire batting order before registering a hit as part of a big third inning.
FSU caught a break in the bottom
of the first as it caught the first base runner trying to take second, stranding one on third, but Stanford made up for it in the bottom of the second, smacking a two-run homer to take the lead.
Florida State got a bit of a spark when a throwing error put Eli Putnam on second with one out, scoring the Seminoles’ first run off their first hit when Chase Williams drove him in on a right field single. Williams stole second and then got sent home himself off a Brody DeLamielleure double. It was then DeLamielleure’s turn to score as Hunter Carns doubled down the left field line, giving Florida State the lead and forcing Stanford to make a change on the mound.
Carns took third off a wild pitch, with a sacrifice fly from Nathan Cmeyla then scoring him before a Gabe Fraser fly-out ended the top of the third with the Seminoles leading 4-2.
Stanford, with two outs, got a lucky hop that led to a Fraser error and then tied the game on another two-run blast before a Beard strikeout — his sixth of the game — closed out the third.
FSU had no immediate answer, going three up, three down in the fourth. In the bottom frame, Stanford got a one-out double to put one on, then a wild pitch from Beard on a full count put runners on the corners for the Cardinal. The first-base runner stole second, and then an error on a deep fly ball sent two home, putting Stanford up once again. Beard struck out his seventh batter of the game, followed by a groundout to end the inning with the Cardinal leading 6-4.
Putnam kicked off the fifth with a left field double, with a Williams bunt then putting runners on the corners for FSU. The Seminoles then evened things up in quick succession after a wild pitch scored Putnam and another DeLamielleure RBI sent Williams home, leading to a third pitcher for Stanford. Florida State was unable to retake the lead, however, as Carns went down swinging, Cmeyla flew out to right center and Fraser groundout to keep the game at 6-6.
John Abraham relieved Beard in the bottom of the fifth, ending the starters’ day after four innings, 6 runs (3 earned), 5 hits and 7 strikeouts.
Stanford got a single to start off the frame but then grounded out into a double play, with the inning ending shortly after on a center field fly-out.
The Cardinal made another pitching change at the top of the sixth, where Paulino Jr. reached on a fielding error but John Stuetzer flew out, Cal Fisher fouled out on a putout and then Putnam grounded out to short to end the frame. Stanford went quietly in the bottom, its second straight 1-2-3 frame.
The seventh inning saw a fifth pitcher enter the game for Stanford. Florida State got back-to-back groundouts from Williams and DeLamielleure before Carns was walked. Cmeyla doubled down the right field line to send Carns home, giving the Seminoles the lead once more before a Fraser strikeout ended the frame.
Stanford got a single on an 0-2 count to begin the bottom frame, putting another on base off a bunt. A superhero catch by Stuetzer prevented a three-run home run, but the Cardinal tied things up off a groundout RBI, with an intentional walk putting runners on first and second with two outs. A pop-up to left field ended the inning before any more damage could be done, leaving the game at 7-7.
Florida State went three up, three down in the top of the eighth, a showing echoed by Stanford to send things to the ninth.
Putnam grounded out to start the inning, followed by a Williams strikeout and a DeLamielleure lineout for a second straight 1-2-3 Florida State frame.
The Seminoles made a pitching change for the bottom of the ninth, putting Brodie Purcell on the mound after four innings of work for Abraham (2 hits, 1 run, 2 strikeouts). He walked his first batter faced, with a sacrifice bunt advancing the winning run to second. An infield pop-up gave the Cardinal a second out, and Purcell was relieved after 10 pitches by Payton Manca to set up a lefty-on-lefty matchup. The change paid off, leading to a flyout and extra innings.
Facing off against a new Stanford pitcher, Carns went down swinging to begin the 10th, followed by Cmeyla being walked on a full count and a Fraser strikeout. Noah Sheffield, pinch-hitting for Carter McCulley with two outs, was also walked but a Stuetzer strikeout ended the frame and left the two stranded.
Stanford flew out and grounded out to start the bottom of the 10th, with Manca walking the third batter but striking out the fourth to send things to the 11th.
Stanford put its seventh pitcher of the game on the mound in the top frame, who walked Fisher on a full count. Putnam popped up for the first out, with a foul ball putout from Williams and a DeLamielleure flyout sending it to the bottom of the 11th.
Stanford began with a pop up to first, following it up with a single to put the winning run on. A right field line double put two RISP with one out and a deep left field single secured the win for the Cardinal.
