Staying Alive! FSU knocks off Virginia, 7-3, moves on in College World Series

OMAHA, Neb. — The Florida State Seminoles aren’t ready to leave Omaha just yet.

Thanks in large part to a great pitching performance from Carson Dorsey and two home runs from left-fielder Jaime Ferrer, Florida State rolled to a 7-3 victory Sunday afternoon in an elimination game against ACC rival Virginia.

The Seminoles are now 1-1 in the College World Series and will play again on Tuesday.

Fighting to keep its 2024 season alive, Florida State played what might have been its best game of the year — less than 48 hours after the Seminoles lost a three-run lead in the ninth inning against No. 1 Tennessee.

“To explain the feeling of sitting up here Friday night is not something I can remotely relay to you,” FSU coach Link Jarrett said in his postgame press conference. “This team’s response of playing arguably the best game we’ve played this year pretty much sums up what’s in that dugout. And it’s not easy to go to bed after that [loss]. It’s not a pleasant day.

“And to watch them play their best game, that was just a thrill I’ll never forget here. And I’ve had some. That was beyond an experience I’ve had here and just the response.”

As he did in the Regional and Super Regional rounds, Dorsey came through with a very strong starting effort on the mound.

Facing a Virginia offense that ranks among the nation’s leaders in several statistical categories, the junior left-hander pitched 7.0 innings and allowed three runs on nine hits. Dorsey struck out seven and walked two, and he credited the Seminoles’ defense with playing sharp all day.

“We had these guys behind us the whole time making great plays the whole game,” Dorsey said. “But being able to have more than just the fastball working and trusting in those pitches is what really made the difference.”

And the Florida State lineup continued scoring runs like it did in its CWS-opening 12-11 loss to Tennessee.

The Seminoles got on the board Sunday in the bottom of the third with a bases loaded walk from James Tibbs. Then Ferrer hit the first of his home runs — a solo shot in the bottom of the fourth — to give Florida State a 2-0 advantage.

FSU pushed its lead to six runs in the fifth with an RBI single by Marco Dinges and a three-run blast from Ferrer. The Seminoles then went up 7-0 in the sixth with a solo home run by shortstop Alex Lodise.

“Being able to come out clutch for my team is awesome,” Ferrer said. “We still get to dance and we still get to play on Tuesday and compete for a national championship, which at the end of the day is everyone’s goal here. And all eight of these teams are championship-caliber teams. For us to come out here with a win means the entire world to us.”

Virginia chipped into the lead with two runs in the seventh and one in the eighth, but senior Brennen Oxford pitched the final two innings to close the door.

Sunday marked the third straight impressive outing for Dorsey in this NCAA Tournament.

In the Tallahassee Regional against Stetson, he came within one out of pitching a complete game — scattering nine hits and one earned run — over 8 2/3 innings. Then he followed that up with a solid 5 1/3 innings (four hits, one run) in a blowout win against UConn in the Super Regional.

Florida State will face the loser of tonight’s winners-bracket game between North Carolina and Tennessee on Tuesday at 2 p.m. ET..

Stay connected with Warchant.com for complete postgame coverage.

*Talk about this story with other die-hard Florida State baseball fans in the FSU Baseball Forum*