Florida State picked quite a bad time for its first loss of the season when leading after eight innings.
The Seminoles appeared destined for a huge Game 1 win of their road super regional, leading 4-1 heading to the bottom of the ninth.
But that last out proved to be the most difficult one.
Oregon State struck for three runs with two outs, as three straight batters reached base. The first run scored on a Joe Charles wild pitch and the final two on a Jacob Krieg game-tying single.
After a scoreless 10th inning for FSU, the Beavers loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the inning, walking it off with a single from AJ Singer to hand the Beavers a comeback 5-4 win, their first win this season when trailing after eight innings.
FSU, previously on the brink of a Game 1 upset in the Corvallis Super Regional, was instead dealt with a brutally tough loss. The Seminoles' season will now be on the line Saturday at 9 p.m. with Jamie Arnold on the mound.
"That's awful. It doesn't get much worse than that. These guys will regroup, and we have Arnold going, and they need to feel this a little bit. You're not shaking this off right now, and you should not..." FSU head coach Link Jarrett said after the loss. "This is a tough, tough learning situation, but it has to become that because you can't repeat those things clearly. The guys that were not maybe in this situation today have to learn from what happened. On this stage, in this moment, with the lock-in and the capabilities of the players, everything needs to click to get all 27 outs. Every one of them, it's an accumulation of how you execute. We probably, although it felt like we were in position, we came out on the downside of the execution wall."
Charles had been rolling out of the bullpen in relief of FSU starter Joey Volini, setting down the first four batters he faced in the seventh and eighth. But he allowed a leadoff double in the ninth -- his first hit allowed this postseason. He retired the next two batters to get one out away, but then walked a pinch-hitter and allowed a hit to another before a wild pitch and the game-tying single.
The FSU closer allowed three runs on three hits in the ninth after he had allowed three total earned runs over his last five appearances and 9.1 innings. Oregon State was 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position before it had two hits with RISP in the ninth.
"You have to finish games and you have to finish pitches, and we did not finish the inning nor really finish the pitches that we needed to make to end it when we had a chance to end it with a runner on second base and two outs," Jarrett said. "You felt like you were in position, but they're a good team, and you can see why we're here playing them. They earned it...We had thoughts of (taking Charles out) and we had guys prepped and ready. It seemed like the matchup and his stuff favorably worked for that hitter. He did not execute it."
That blown save covers up what was a stellar start on the mound from FSU redshirt junior LHP Joey Volini. The decision to start Volini in Game 1 was vindicated when FSU's Saturday starter who hadn't been as sharp down the stretch looked as fresh as he has in weeks in a tough road atmosphere Friday. He retired the first six batters he faced, setting the tone for an effective and efficient start.
OSU tagged him for the only run he would allow in the fourth inning on an RBI double from Wilson Weber, but the FSU starter otherwise did an exceptional job limiting damage.
He got an assist from an incredible relay play from Chase Williams to Alex Lodise to Hunter Carns to gun down a runner at the plate and keep Oregon State off the board in the third. After a pair of bunt singles put runners on the corners with two outs in the fifth, Volini got a strikeout of OSU standout Aiva Arquette to escape the jam.
Oregon State hit a leadoff double off Volini to begin the seventh, but he struck out the next two batters to end his outing after 6.2 innings, his longest outing since he threw eight innings vs. Clemson back on May 3.
After Link Jarrett admitted that Volini could need a lighter week during the ACC Tournament, that's just what he got over the last two weeks, throwing 52 relief pitches in the ACC Semifinals and then throwing 45 in FSU's regional opener vs. Bethune-Cookman because of an extended weather delay which ended his outing after just three innings. Volini threw more pitches (104) on Friday than the 97 he had thrown in the prior 20 days combined.
He struck out eight batters (five of those over his last 2.2 innings) while walking and hitting none. The Beavers did have seven hits off Volini, but he managed that traffic exceptionally well, limiting them to 2 for 12 (.167) with runners on base and 1 for 7 (.143) with runners in scoring position.
FSU was the more opportunistic team at the plate through the first eight innings Friday night, taking a 1-0 lead Carns on an RBI double in the second inning, one of two hits he had in the nine-hole of the FSU lineup.
After OSU tied it at 1, Myles Bailey gave FSU the lead back with a solo home run to lead off the sixth inning, his 18th of the season and seventh in the last seven games.
FSU then got two more insurance runs in the seventh and eighth on a pair of two-out RBI singles from Max Williams and Brody DeLamielleure.
While FSU did take advantage of those situations, it finished Friday's game 5 for 20 (.250) with runners on base and stranded eight runners, with three innings ending due to baserunners being thrown out on the basepaths.
For much of Friday night, it appeared FSU was about to be in the driver's seat of the Corvallis Super Regional with a Game 1 win and its ace on the mound for Game 2. Now, FSU turns to Arnold Saturday night, needing to win the next two games over the Beavers on Saturday and Sunday in order to clinch a second straight trip to the College World Series.
"As difficult as that feels right now, when it's 6:06 and that first pitch is thrown (Saturday), this shouldn't have anything to do with it. You have to go play and perform and finish and execute and have an offensive attack and run the bases better and execute pitches better. That's how we approach," Jarrett said. "Had the script been reversed in this, and we were all excited right now, it still has to be the same approach."
The Seminoles appeared destined for a huge Game 1 win of their road super regional, leading 4-1 heading to the bottom of the ninth.
But that last out proved to be the most difficult one.
Oregon State struck for three runs with two outs, as three straight batters reached base. The first run scored on a Joe Charles wild pitch and the final two on a Jacob Krieg game-tying single.
After a scoreless 10th inning for FSU, the Beavers loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the inning, walking it off with a single from AJ Singer to hand the Beavers a comeback 5-4 win, their first win this season when trailing after eight innings.
FSU, previously on the brink of a Game 1 upset in the Corvallis Super Regional, was instead dealt with a brutally tough loss. The Seminoles' season will now be on the line Saturday at 9 p.m. with Jamie Arnold on the mound.
"That's awful. It doesn't get much worse than that. These guys will regroup, and we have Arnold going, and they need to feel this a little bit. You're not shaking this off right now, and you should not..." FSU head coach Link Jarrett said after the loss. "This is a tough, tough learning situation, but it has to become that because you can't repeat those things clearly. The guys that were not maybe in this situation today have to learn from what happened. On this stage, in this moment, with the lock-in and the capabilities of the players, everything needs to click to get all 27 outs. Every one of them, it's an accumulation of how you execute. We probably, although it felt like we were in position, we came out on the downside of the execution wall."
Charles had been rolling out of the bullpen in relief of FSU starter Joey Volini, setting down the first four batters he faced in the seventh and eighth. But he allowed a leadoff double in the ninth -- his first hit allowed this postseason. He retired the next two batters to get one out away, but then walked a pinch-hitter and allowed a hit to another before a wild pitch and the game-tying single.
The FSU closer allowed three runs on three hits in the ninth after he had allowed three total earned runs over his last five appearances and 9.1 innings. Oregon State was 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position before it had two hits with RISP in the ninth.
"You have to finish games and you have to finish pitches, and we did not finish the inning nor really finish the pitches that we needed to make to end it when we had a chance to end it with a runner on second base and two outs," Jarrett said. "You felt like you were in position, but they're a good team, and you can see why we're here playing them. They earned it...We had thoughts of (taking Charles out) and we had guys prepped and ready. It seemed like the matchup and his stuff favorably worked for that hitter. He did not execute it."
That blown save covers up what was a stellar start on the mound from FSU redshirt junior LHP Joey Volini. The decision to start Volini in Game 1 was vindicated when FSU's Saturday starter who hadn't been as sharp down the stretch looked as fresh as he has in weeks in a tough road atmosphere Friday. He retired the first six batters he faced, setting the tone for an effective and efficient start.
OSU tagged him for the only run he would allow in the fourth inning on an RBI double from Wilson Weber, but the FSU starter otherwise did an exceptional job limiting damage.
He got an assist from an incredible relay play from Chase Williams to Alex Lodise to Hunter Carns to gun down a runner at the plate and keep Oregon State off the board in the third. After a pair of bunt singles put runners on the corners with two outs in the fifth, Volini got a strikeout of OSU standout Aiva Arquette to escape the jam.
Oregon State hit a leadoff double off Volini to begin the seventh, but he struck out the next two batters to end his outing after 6.2 innings, his longest outing since he threw eight innings vs. Clemson back on May 3.
After Link Jarrett admitted that Volini could need a lighter week during the ACC Tournament, that's just what he got over the last two weeks, throwing 52 relief pitches in the ACC Semifinals and then throwing 45 in FSU's regional opener vs. Bethune-Cookman because of an extended weather delay which ended his outing after just three innings. Volini threw more pitches (104) on Friday than the 97 he had thrown in the prior 20 days combined.
He struck out eight batters (five of those over his last 2.2 innings) while walking and hitting none. The Beavers did have seven hits off Volini, but he managed that traffic exceptionally well, limiting them to 2 for 12 (.167) with runners on base and 1 for 7 (.143) with runners in scoring position.
FSU was the more opportunistic team at the plate through the first eight innings Friday night, taking a 1-0 lead Carns on an RBI double in the second inning, one of two hits he had in the nine-hole of the FSU lineup.
After OSU tied it at 1, Myles Bailey gave FSU the lead back with a solo home run to lead off the sixth inning, his 18th of the season and seventh in the last seven games.
FSU then got two more insurance runs in the seventh and eighth on a pair of two-out RBI singles from Max Williams and Brody DeLamielleure.
While FSU did take advantage of those situations, it finished Friday's game 5 for 20 (.250) with runners on base and stranded eight runners, with three innings ending due to baserunners being thrown out on the basepaths.
For much of Friday night, it appeared FSU was about to be in the driver's seat of the Corvallis Super Regional with a Game 1 win and its ace on the mound for Game 2. Now, FSU turns to Arnold Saturday night, needing to win the next two games over the Beavers on Saturday and Sunday in order to clinch a second straight trip to the College World Series.
"As difficult as that feels right now, when it's 6:06 and that first pitch is thrown (Saturday), this shouldn't have anything to do with it. You have to go play and perform and finish and execute and have an offensive attack and run the bases better and execute pitches better. That's how we approach," Jarrett said. "Had the script been reversed in this, and we were all excited right now, it still has to be the same approach."
Last edited:
