FSU baseball team wraps season with 6-2 win at Louisville, takes road series

Recap courtesy of Florida State Sports Information:

LOUISVILLE – Ben Barrett had three more hits Saturday, including his first career triple and a pair of RBI doubles, as the Florida State baseball team wrapped its 2023 season with a 6-2 win at Louisville.

Barrett notched his second three-hit game of the weekend after hitting three singles Thursday night. The Orlando native wraps his freshman season hitting .359 with 16 runs, 21 RBI and 28 hits in just 21 games.

Conner Whittaker allowed two runs in 6.0 innings, and the Seminoles consistently got out of trouble thanks to spectacular defense. The ‘Noles ended the fifth, seventh and eighth innings with double plays, and also turned one in the first inning. The four double plays tied a season high and were one shy of the school record.

After Louisville took a 1-0 lead in the second inning, Florida State responded with a Cam Smith RBI single in the third. Jaime Ferrer gave FSU the lead in the fifth with a two-run double, his team-high 22^nd of the year. Barrett’s first RBI double came in the sixth inning to extend the lead to 4-1, and Jordan Williams followed with an RBI single later that same inning.

The Cardinals added an unearned run in the sixth inning on an FSU error. Louisville looked to add more in the seventh inning, when Brennen Oxford allowed a pair of walks, but Doug Kirkland forced a 6-4-3 double play on his first pitch to silence the Patterson Stadium crowd and get the ‘Noles back in the dugout.

After Nander De Sedas walked to start the eighth, Barrett doubled again to left-center field to give Florida State a 6-2 advantage.

Kirkland walked the first batter in the ninth inning before Jamie Arnold entered and struck out two of the next four batters to close out FSU’s first ACC road series win of the year.

Under first-year head coach Link Jarrett, the Seminoles finish with a 23-31 record and a 9-21 mark in ACC play.

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OF NOTE:

• Ben Barrett hit his first career triple in the second inning. As a team, FSU has hit 18 triples, its most since also hitting 18 in 2013; Barrett is the ninth different Seminole with a triple. Barrett added two RBI doubles, finishing the series with six hits and his freshman season hitting .359. Barrett had two three-hit games against the Cardinals, his third and fourth of the season.
• Cam Smith ended his freshman season with a career-high 10-game on-base streak with a walk and an RBI double Saturday. Smith finished with 8 doubles, 5 triples and 12 home runs this year.
• James Tibbs doubled, scored two runs and drew two walks; he wrapped 2023 leading Florida State with 60 runs and 48 walks.
• Conner Whittaker picked off a runner to end the fourth inning, his second of the year. Whittaker and Andrew Armstrong each have two of FSU’s four pickoffs.
• Jaime Ferrer hit his 22^nd double, most on the team and most for a Seminole since Mike Salvatore’s 23 in 2019. He had his third career outfield assist (and second of 2023), starting a double play.
• Playing his last collegiate game, Nander De Sedas singled in the sixth inning and scored on Barrett’s double.
• Jordan Williams matched his season high with two hits; he had a season high two RBI in Friday’s game against the Cardinals. He added his third sacrifice bunt of the year, and second of the series.
• Florida State turned four double plays, matching its season high and its 11^th multi-DP game.

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