After a long weekend with a game being moved due to inclement weather forcing a double-header, the FSU baseball team continues to dominate adding another series win after last weekend’s victory against Wake Forest (3-2).
On Mar. 20, Florida State baseball faced North Carolina State in a back-to-back game, ending their weekend-long ACC series opener. The first game ended in Florida State losing 15-4 but they came back strong in the second game.
What many Seminoles baseball fans thought would be a relatively normal second game to close off their series ended up being a 17-inning and nearly six-hour event.
Seminoles had an early head start with Brett Roberts and Jaime Ferrer leading them to a 3-0 lead. Both teams were playing hard with them tying in the eighth inning 3-3. In the 12th inning, NC State had a home run, with a runner already on base making it a two-run homer and giving them a two-point advantage.
Many fans thought the Seminoles chance of winning was lost.
However, Florida State came back with Alex Toral, a Miami transfer, coming up to bat and tying the game 5-5. According to Warchant, “Alex Toral obliterated a pitch deep over the screen in right and deep into the night to tie the game at 5-5. As soon as he hit it, Toral hurled his bat toward the N.C. State dugout and stared it down as he walked toward first.”
Many were captivated as the game continued nearing almost six hours since the start and wondering if the Seminoles could really pull through with a win.
In a turnaround of events in the bottom of the 17th inning, freshman Jaime Ferrer after five strikeouts hit a walk-off home run giving the Seminoles the 6-5 advantage over the Wolf Pack.
This would make it the fifth-straight weekend series win of the season so far and their longest streak to start it off since 2016.
Florida State Baseball’s Instagram account (@nolesbaseball) captioned the video of Ferrer’s run “The shot heard ‘round the college baseball world!”
In an interview with Tallahassee Democrat, Ferrer said “It was honestly more of a sense of relief than anything. I struggled. Early in the game I got a hit, but I didn’t have the best at-bats in big situations. Everyone in the dugout was like, ‘Hey, you’re going to come up in a big situation. Be confident in yourself and you’re going to come through.’ Seeing the ball go over was an amazing feeling.”
With over nine hours and 26 innings, much of Florida State’s pitchers were depleted with a total of 12 pitchers taking the mound by the end of the game. Ross Dunn, Florida State pitcher started them off strong pitching a solid six innings.
One of the remaining few towards the homestretch, Wyatt Cromwell led the tail of the game and kept Florida State’s defense secure. According to Tomahawk Nation, “Crowell pounded the zone, throwing strikes on 64 percent of his pitches and limiting NC State’s opportunities.”
When interviewed post-game, Cromwell spoke on his game mentality saying “I’ve been having to dig deep, having some outings I didn’t want to have. It’s a mind game, it’s baseball, but I’ve been working hard every day and it’s starting to pay off. It’s good to see.”
This affair was not like many others with it being tied for the second-longest game in Florida State’s baseball program history.
If that wasn’t enough, records were also being broken and made with Florida State setting a new school record with 28 strikeouts during the final game and both teams set a new NCAA record with a combined 54 strikeouts.
FSU Baseball head coach Mike Martin Jr. commented on the Seminoles’ win stating “Two evenly matched teams. We got our butt whipped in game one, came out in game two, I liked the enthusiasm…I’m really excited for those guys. They deserve something like that…Shoutout to the fans for sticking around.”
Despite the heartbreaking loss in the first game in Sunday’s series, the Noles came back stronger than ever for the second game of the double-header.
If this is a preview for the rest of the season, it’s sure to be an exciting one full of nail-biting late-inning heroics like the homer in the 17th inning by Herrer.
This team has a lot of heart and Seminole pride running through their veins and that’s evident in their never-give-up attitude.
The only thing that was missing was you.
Let’s fill up those stadium bleachers and support our team as they make a run for the College World Series. Don’t miss the next game!
For times and dates on when you can attend one of the Noles home games, click the link for the team schedule: https://seminoles.com/sports/baseball/
If you are a Florida State Student, all you have to do is show your student ID to get in for free.
Congrats Florida State Baseball! See you there!
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