Back to Omaha! James Tibbs powers FSU past UConn, back to College World Series
In what likely will be his final game at Dick Howser Stadium, Florida State slugger James Tibbs III saved his best for last.
The Seminoles’ star junior right-fielder belted three two-run home runs Saturday — including the winning slam in the 12th inning — and went 5-for-6 on a day when the Seminoles needed every one of those hits to fight off a scrappy UConn team that was one of the darlings of the 2024 postseason.
In the end, it was just enough — barely — to give Florida State a 10-8 victory and propel the Seminoles back to the College World Series in Omaha. The Seminoles won the first game of the Super Regional on Friday, 24-4.
It will be FSU’s first CWS appearance since 2019 and the first under second-year head coach Link Jarrett.
And the Seminoles had to sweat it out
Tibbs’ first two-run home run, in the third inning, erased an early 2-0 deficit. Then he hit another two-run shot in the fifth to give the Seminoles a 4-2 advantage.
Marco Dinges then followed that up with a solo shot, but the Huskies came storming right back with a two-run homer from third baseman Luke Broadhurst in the bottom half of the fifth.
Florida State extended its lead to 6-4 on a solo home run from center fielder Max Williams, but UConn came charging back again. This time, Broadhurst hit a three-run triple off the wall in center field to give the Huskies a 7-6 advantage after six.
FSU catcher Jaxson West tied things up with a solo home run in the eighth, then Drew Faurot gave the Seminoles a one-run lead with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth.
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Florida State’s bullpen could not close things out, however, as UConn pinch hitter Matt Malcolm lifted a solo home run off the light pole in right-center field to tie it at 8-8.
The game would stay deadlocked for the next three innings until Tibbs gave FSU its final runs.
Florida State also got a brilliant relief performance from junior righty Conner Whittaker, who pitched a scoreless 3 2/3 innings to end the game.
FSU ace Jamie Arnold pitched well, but numerous scrappy at-bats by UConn forced his pitch count up. He needed 121 pitches just to get through 5 1/3 innings. Arnold struck out nine batters, but allowed six runs (five earned) on seven hits.
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