Takeaways from FSU baseball beating Bethune-Cookman
The No. 9-seeded FSU Seminoles opened the Tallahassee Regional with a 6-2 win over the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats Friday at Dick-Howser Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida. The Seminoles improved to 39-14 with the win.
The Seminoles opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning with a solo home run by Max Williams and went up 2-0 in the second inning when Chase Williams hit a solo homer of his own. That was when things went downhill for the Seminoles.
The Wildcats tied the game in the top of the third inning before a two-hour weather delay interrupted the bottom of the third inning. The rain did nothing to cool off FSU's offense, which added three runs in the bottom of the inning to retake the lead and never looked back.
Those runs were plenty as the Seminoles did not allow a run over the final 6.0 innings to earn the win in the first game of the Tallahassee Regional. Here are three takeaways from the game and a look at what is next for FSU.
The Weather Delay
The game was interrupted in the bottom of the third inning with a 30-minute lightning delay. That delay ended up taking over two hours, chasing FSU starter Joey Volini from the game and putting the pressure on FSU's bullpen.
Volini allowed two runs in three innings on five hits. The lefty threw just 40 pitches and will likely be able to pitch later in the tournament after the short appearance. He has made just one relief appearance this season, allowing two runs (one earned) in 3.2 innings against North Carolina in the ACC Baseball Championship.
The delay did not hinder FSU's offense, which scored three runs in the bottom of the inning to break the tie and go up 5-2. Myles Bailey had the biggest swing of the inning, hitting a two-run homer for his 16th of the season.
FSU's bullpen steps up
FSU was hoping to get some length out of starter Joey Volini, but the weather delay changed that. His short start put pressure on the bullpen. The group was ready as Peyton Prescott, Chris Knier, and John Abraham combined to pitch six shutout innings.
Prescott got it started, taking over in the fourth inning after the delay. He pitched 2.2 innings, allowing two hits, a walk, and a hit batter. He recorded four strikeouts and threw 54 pitches. The length he was provided was key, as the Seminoles were not forced to use too many of their relievers on the first day of the tournament.
He ran into some trouble in the sixth inning as a two-out walk brought the tying run to the plate before Knier entered the game. He fell behind 3-1 before getting a flyout to escape the jam and keep it a 5-2 game. He also gave FSU great length, pitching 2.1 innings and allowing just one hit and recording two strikeouts.
Abraham kept it going in the ninth inning, working around two singles to close the door and secure the win for the Seminoles.
The group allowed just five hits in 6.0 innings, recording seven strikeouts against two walks. Bethune-Cookman had five hits in the first three innings, scoring two runs off Volini, and was close to scoring several more.
FSU's homers make the difference
The Seminoles were actually outhit by the Wildcats 10-6. However, FSU was able to pick up the win thanks to hitting three home runs while Bethune-Cookman did not have an extra-base hit.
Max Williams got it started in the first inning, hitting a solo homer to give FSU the early 1-0 lead. It was his team-leading 18th homer of the season and left the bat at 110 miles per hour to clear the fence in right-center. Chase Williams kept it going in the second inning, hitting his first homer of the season to double the lead.
Myles Bailey had the biggest swing of the game in the third inning. The Wildcats had tied the game in the top of the inning before a lengthy weather delay and were looking to pick up their first-ever win over the Seminoles. Bailey made sure that didn't happen, launching a two-run homer to right-center to retake the lead.
It was his 16th of the season and fourth in the past three games. The Seminoles never relinquished the lead en route to a critical win.
Up Next for FSU
The Seminoles are in the winner's bracket and will play the winner of Mississippi State and Northeastern on Saturday for a spot in the Regional Final. The game is set to start at 6 p.m. ET. It is extremely tough to win a regional when you lose the first game, and the Seminoles survived a great effort by Bethune-Cookman to stay out of the loser's bracket.
Bethune-Cookman is now in the loser's bracket and will play the loser of the game between Mississippi State and Northeastern. The Wildcats will have to win four straight elimination games to win the Regional.
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