Seminoles Come Back Late to Advance to Super Regional
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The No. 9-seeded Florida State baseball team rallied with two runs in the seventh and three in the eighth to beat Mississippi State 5-2 and win the Tallahassee Regional to advance to the Super Regional on a memorable Sunday night at Dick Howser Stadium.
With the dramatic comeback win, the Seminoles (41-14) advance to their 19th Super Regional, the most all-time. FSU will play the winner of the Corvallis Regional between No. 8-seeded Oregon State and USC from June 6-9.
FSU entered Sunday night’s Regional Final with a 2-0 record and needing one win, while the Bulldogs (36-23) needed to win both Sunday night and Monday after they advanced to the final with an elimination-game win earlier in the day.
With the victory, Florida State has won six consecutive regional games, all at home, and eight postseason games in a row in Tallahassee. The Seminoles improve to 210-134 all-time in NCAA contests and 158-63 in regional games as they sweep a regional for the second year in a row. The team’s 210 wins and 61 NCAA appearances are second-most in the NCAA.
Mississippi State took a 1-0 lead in the first inning and led 2-0 in the fifth before FSU tied it in the seventh inning with a two-run home run by sophomore third baseman Cal Fisher. The Seminoles took the lead in the eighth on a two-RBI single by junior center fielder Max Williams and added an insurance run one pitch later on a single by freshman first baseman Myles Bailey.
Bailey and Fisher were two of five Seminoles named to the All-Regional Team, along with junior left-handed starter Jamie Arnold, junior second baseman Drew Faurot and sophomore left-handed starter Wes Mendes. Arnold was named the regional’s Most Outstanding Player for the second consecutive year.
Mendes had a career day in Sunday’s win. In a collegiate-best 8.0 innings, he held MSU to two runs on five hits with nine strikeouts and two walks. His 105 pitches tied a career high and is just the third time he threw more than 95 pitches. As he improved to 7-2 on the year, Mendes pitched into the seventh inning for the third time in his two-year career.
Redshirt senior righty Joe Charles picked up the save, his team-leading fourth, with a no-hit ninth inning. In the three regional games, the FSU bullpen did not allow a run on just three hits in 8.0 innings.
Fisher was one of three players with two hits, and he added two RBI and a run scored on his game-tying home run. It was his eighth homer of the year and first of the postseason.
In the regional-clinching win, FSU scored five runs on 10 hits with no errors. MSU was held to two runs, both solo homers, on five hits with one walk.
Mississippi State took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a leadoff home run. Mendes then allowed a single, but a double play and a groundout ended the inning. Mendes tossed a perfect second with two strikeouts and fanned one in a 1-2-3 third. He faced the minimum in the fourth as a 6-5-3 double play ended the frame.
MSU added its second and last run of the day with a solo homer with one out in the fifth to make it 2-0. Mendes then struck out two in the sixth while leaving one on after a leadoff single. In the seventh, a leadoff walk was negated thanks to back-to-back strikeouts to end the threat.
That set up Fisher’s game-tying home run in the bottom of the seventh. Bailey led off the inning with a double before Fisher homered to right-center on the first pitch he saw. Tied at 2-2, Mendes left one on in a scoreless eighth, with a flyout to center to end the inning and his night.
The Seminoles took the lead for the first time in the eighth. A walk, throwing error on a sacrifice bunt attempt and another walk loaded the bases for Williams. On a 1-2 pitch, he singled through the right side, past the diving first baseman, to score two runs and give the home team a 4-2 lead. On the very next pitch, Bailey singled up the middle to drive in an insurance run and make it 5-2.
The team leader in game-winning hits going into the weekend, Williams is now tied atop the leaderboard again with eight on the season. He has three game-winning RBI in the eighth inning or later.
With the three run lead, Charles struck out three in the ninth to seal the victory and Florida State’s spot in the Super Regionals for a second consecutive season.
Details about next weekend’s Super Regionals will be announced as they are finalized and confirmed by the NCAA.
For more information on Florida State baseball, check Seminoles.com for the latest news and scheduling information, and keep up with the team on social media through Twitter/X and Facebook (@FSUBaseball) & Instagram (@NoleBaseball).
With the dramatic comeback win, the Seminoles (41-14) advance to their 19th Super Regional, the most all-time. FSU will play the winner of the Corvallis Regional between No. 8-seeded Oregon State and USC from June 6-9.
FSU entered Sunday night’s Regional Final with a 2-0 record and needing one win, while the Bulldogs (36-23) needed to win both Sunday night and Monday after they advanced to the final with an elimination-game win earlier in the day.
With the victory, Florida State has won six consecutive regional games, all at home, and eight postseason games in a row in Tallahassee. The Seminoles improve to 210-134 all-time in NCAA contests and 158-63 in regional games as they sweep a regional for the second year in a row. The team’s 210 wins and 61 NCAA appearances are second-most in the NCAA.
Mississippi State took a 1-0 lead in the first inning and led 2-0 in the fifth before FSU tied it in the seventh inning with a two-run home run by sophomore third baseman Cal Fisher. The Seminoles took the lead in the eighth on a two-RBI single by junior center fielder Max Williams and added an insurance run one pitch later on a single by freshman first baseman Myles Bailey.
Bailey and Fisher were two of five Seminoles named to the All-Regional Team, along with junior left-handed starter Jamie Arnold, junior second baseman Drew Faurot and sophomore left-handed starter Wes Mendes. Arnold was named the regional’s Most Outstanding Player for the second consecutive year.
Mendes had a career day in Sunday’s win. In a collegiate-best 8.0 innings, he held MSU to two runs on five hits with nine strikeouts and two walks. His 105 pitches tied a career high and is just the third time he threw more than 95 pitches. As he improved to 7-2 on the year, Mendes pitched into the seventh inning for the third time in his two-year career.
Redshirt senior righty Joe Charles picked up the save, his team-leading fourth, with a no-hit ninth inning. In the three regional games, the FSU bullpen did not allow a run on just three hits in 8.0 innings.
Fisher was one of three players with two hits, and he added two RBI and a run scored on his game-tying home run. It was his eighth homer of the year and first of the postseason.
In the regional-clinching win, FSU scored five runs on 10 hits with no errors. MSU was held to two runs, both solo homers, on five hits with one walk.
Mississippi State took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a leadoff home run. Mendes then allowed a single, but a double play and a groundout ended the inning. Mendes tossed a perfect second with two strikeouts and fanned one in a 1-2-3 third. He faced the minimum in the fourth as a 6-5-3 double play ended the frame.
MSU added its second and last run of the day with a solo homer with one out in the fifth to make it 2-0. Mendes then struck out two in the sixth while leaving one on after a leadoff single. In the seventh, a leadoff walk was negated thanks to back-to-back strikeouts to end the threat.
That set up Fisher’s game-tying home run in the bottom of the seventh. Bailey led off the inning with a double before Fisher homered to right-center on the first pitch he saw. Tied at 2-2, Mendes left one on in a scoreless eighth, with a flyout to center to end the inning and his night.
The Seminoles took the lead for the first time in the eighth. A walk, throwing error on a sacrifice bunt attempt and another walk loaded the bases for Williams. On a 1-2 pitch, he singled through the right side, past the diving first baseman, to score two runs and give the home team a 4-2 lead. On the very next pitch, Bailey singled up the middle to drive in an insurance run and make it 5-2.
The team leader in game-winning hits going into the weekend, Williams is now tied atop the leaderboard again with eight on the season. He has three game-winning RBI in the eighth inning or later.
With the three run lead, Charles struck out three in the ninth to seal the victory and Florida State’s spot in the Super Regionals for a second consecutive season.
Details about next weekend’s Super Regionals will be announced as they are finalized and confirmed by the NCAA.
For more information on Florida State baseball, check Seminoles.com for the latest news and scheduling information, and keep up with the team on social media through Twitter/X and Facebook (@FSUBaseball) & Instagram (@NoleBaseball).
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