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Walk-off win: Max Williams delivers game-winning hit as No. 4 Florida State takes series opener over Wake

On3 imageby:Corey Clark•04/04/25•

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Florida State ace Jamie Arnold recorded 10 strikeouts but did not figure into the decision Friday night against Wake Forest. (Courtesy of FSU Sports Information)

It was another memorable Friday night at Dick Howser Stadium for the Florida State baseball team.

The Marching Chiefs were there. Jamie Arnold looked more like himself again. And Max Williams came through with one of his biggest hits of the season with a walk-off single to left as the No. 4 Seminoles knocked off Wake Forest 5-4 in front of an energized capacity crowd at Dick Howser Stadium.

With the game tied 4-4 heading to the bottom of the ninth, Gage Harrelson and Alex Lodise both drew walks. That set the stage for Williams, who was 0-for-4 on the night despite hitting two balls over 100 mph.

He then rifled a 2-1 pitch to left field and Harrelson scored easily from second to spark a wild celebration that ended with Williams shirtless and the entire team doing the “chop” in front of the Marching Chiefs down the right-field line.

All in all, a rather memorable way to open up the series for the Seminoles, who are now 25-4 overall and 8-2 in ACC play.

Almost as important as the win itself was how Arnold looked.

He was still somewhat inefficient, throwing 98 pitches in five innings, but he was better than he had been in a month in silencing the Wake bats for five innings. He allowed just two hits — although one could have easily been ruled an error on first baseman Myles Bailey — and struck out 10.

He also walked two, hit two batters and went into a ton of deep counts. So it wasn’t perfect by any means. But he was very, very good.

The bullpen, it turned out, was not. But it was good enough.

Chris Knier came on in the sixth with a 4-0 lead and 11 pitches later it was 4-3 as he allowed a single and then back-to-back homers without recording an out. Maison Martinez allowed a run in the seventh to tie the game, but Joe Charles managed two scoreless innings of relief, striking out three Demon Deacons along the way.

Then Peyton Prescott, after getting a great catch by Williams at the wall in center to start the ninth, got the last two outs – including a called third strike on a 97 mph fastball – to get to the bottom of the ninth and set the stage for Williams’ walk-off.

Meanwhile, Lodise had another All-American type performance with two hits, including a two-run homer, and two walks. And No. 9 hitter Cal Fisher had one of his best games of the season, with three hits and two RBIs. In fact, Fisher almost had the go-ahead hit in the bottom of the eighth inning with a deep drive to right-center field with Jaxson West on second base.

But Wake right fielder Matt Scannell made a great catch while slamming into the wall to preserve the tie.

An inning later though, the Chiefs were playing the “Warchant,” Williams was shirtless and the Seminoles had their 25th win of the season.

The two teams play again on Saturday afternoon with first pitch set for 4 p.m.

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