FSU Baseball improves to 8-0 with road win at Jacksonville

Courtesy of FSU Sports Information

JACKSONVILLE — A three-run home run in the fifth and consecutive strikeouts with the bases loaded in the eighth helped the No. 7 Florida State baseball team to a 9-6 win at Jacksonville on Wednesday night.

FSU extended its season-opening win streak to eight games and halted JU’s streak at three in a row.

Redshirt freshman Brody DeLamielleure hit his first career home run in the win, a three-run blast in the fifth, and was one of five players with multiple hits. Junior right-handed starter Evan Chrest earned the victory and sophomore righty Chris Knier picked up the save, both the firsts of their FSU careers.

In front of a Garnet and Gold-filled crowd at John Sessions Stadium, the Seminoles scored their nine runs on 16 hits while the Dolphins (3-5) plated six runs on nine hits. JU committed six errors and FSU had three.

Florida State improves to 136-42 all-time against Jacksonville and 49-28 in road games. FSU has won five in a row in the series and three consecutive at JU. The Seminoles have taken eight of the last nine against the Dolphins. The two teams will meet twice more in 2025, both in Tallahassee. 

DeLamielleure had two hits, two runs scored and a game-high 3 RBIs. Junior shortstop Alex Lodise and junior designated hitter Jaxson West both had three hits, as West drove in two and scored one run and Lodise scored twice.

Chrest improved to 1-0 in his first season as a Seminole. Making his second start, he allowed three runs on six hits with three strikeouts and two walks in 5.0 innings. Knier entered the game with one out and the bases loaded in the eighth inning and got a pair of strikeouts to keep it a two-run game. A scoreless ninth gave him his first save, as he did not allow a hit with four strikeouts and a walk in 1.2 innings.

Florida State took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning as junior right fielder Gage Harrelson scored on a bases-loaded double-play groundout. He led off the game with a single as FSU scored in the first for the fourth consecutive game. It was the start of a two-hit day for Harrelson.

The Seminoles trailed for the first time this season when a two-run home run with one out gave the Dolphins a 2-1 advantage in the bottom of the first. Two more reached in the inning before a flyout ended the threat.

The deficit was short-lived as FSU quickly answered in the top of the second. DeLamielleure doubled and scored on a single by Harrelson, and a bases-loaded walk brought in Harrelson. That made it 3-2 before JU tied it in the bottom half on an RBI groundout.

FSU regained the lead 4-3 in the fourth as Lodise scored on a one-out single by West. Chrest then retired the side in order in the bottom half on just nine pitches.

DeLamielleure’s home run extended the lead to 7-3 in the fifth. A leadoff walk and single put two on with no outs for DeLamielleure, who blasted one clear over the wall in left for his first collegiate home run.

In the bottom half, Chrest stranded two for a third consecutive scoreless inning. A fielder’s choice groundout ended the inning and capped his outing.

West singled, took third on a fielding error and scored on a groundout to make it 8-3 in the sixth.

Redshirt junior lefty Jacob Marlowe relieved Chrest to start the sixth. The Dolphins scored two runs, one earned, to cut the FSU lead to 8-5, but a strikeout ended the inning with one on. A two-out home run in the seventh made it 8-6.

After FSU stranded two on with one out in the top of the eighth, the favor was returned in the bottom half, only with three runners left on. An error and two walks loaded the bases before Knier relieved junior righty Ben Barrett. With the count full, Knier got the first strikeout, and then a punchout on a 2-2 pitch ended the inning without a run scoring.

The Seminoles added an insurance run in the top of the ninth. Lodise reached on an error, stole second and took third on another error before he scored on a wild pitch.

Knier secured the win – and the save – with two strikeouts in the ninth. The back-to-back punchouts left a runner on second.

Also in the victory, freshman outfielder BJ Gibson came off the bench and had two hits, the first of his collegiate career.

FSU comes back home this weekend to host Georgetown from February 28-March 2. The series begins on Friday at 5 p.m., followed by game two on Saturday at 2 p.m. The finale is on Sunday at 11 a.m.

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