FSU blows 4-1 lead in ninth, loses Game 1 of Super Regionals in extras
The Florida State Seminoles were one out away from winning the first game of the NCAA Super Regional in Corvallis, Ore., on Friday night.
Instead, they are one loss away from their season being over.
The No. 8 seed Beavers used a three-run, two-out rally in the bottom of the ninth inning to tie the game and then a walk-off single in the 10th to win it and put No. 9 seed FSU on the brink of elimination.
Reliever Joe Charles, who has been the best arm in the Seminoles’ bullpen all year and who had just pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning, took the ball in the ninth with a 4-1 lead. He allowed a leadoff double but then got the next two outs on a strikeout and a groundball to short.
Oregon State sent lefty pinch-hitter Bryce Hubbard to the plate. He was hitting .211 on the year in just 19 at-bats. Charles walked him on five pitches. Oregon State then sent another lefty pinch-hitter to the plate, Dallas Macias. He was hitting .154 on the season. He lined a single to right to load the bases.
Charles then uncorked a wild pitch to score one run, and then on a 2-2 count, Oregon State’s Jacob Krieg lined a two-run single to tie the game at 4-4. A fly ball to the fence in right ended the inning, but the damage was done.
Oregon State then scored the winning run in the bottom of the 10th after Florida State reliever John Abraham loaded the bases with a double, infield single and intentional walk. With one out, A.J. Singer hit a fly ball over Max Williams’ head to walk it off and give the Beavers a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series.
The end spoiled a great start by Florida State left-hander Joey Volini, who allowed just one run in 6.2 innings of work. He struck out eight, walked none and allowed just six hits; two of them were infield hits.
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Meanwhile, Florida State scored a run in the second on a Hunter Carns RBI double off the wall, but James Hankerson was thrown out at the plate to end the inning. The Seminoles then scored a single run in the sixth on a 420-foot homer from Myles Bailey (his seventh home run in FSU’s last seven games).
They scored again in the seventh on a Max Williams two-out RBI single to left, but Williams was thrown out at first after rounding the bag too far.
The Seminoles then scored another run in the eighth when Brody DeLamielleure grounded a two-out RBI single to right to score Drew Faurot, but Chase Williams was thrown out at third to end that inning.
Still, FSU had a 4-1 lead and seemed well on its way to a Game 1 win. It’s never that easy on the road in the postseason, however. And two innings later, the Seminoles watched as Oregon State celebrated the walk-off win in the bottom of the 10th.
The Seminoles’ season isn’t over. But their backs are absolutely against the wall. Jamie Arnold will get the ball on Saturday night in Corvallis to try to get to a Game 3 on Sunday.
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