FSU has four straight home games before traveling to Gainesville to face arch rival, the Florida Gators. Can the Noles build momentum before getting into conference play?
Florida State baseball showed true grit on Tuesday, coming back from a five-run deficit against the Jacksonville University Dolphins.
The No. 20-ranked Noles weathered a five-run Dolphins explosion that included a lead-off home run, with three runs of their own in the bottom of the first inning.
After the teams went back and forth with the lead, they entered the bottom of the ninth inning tied 6-6. Redshirt senior infielder Eli Putnam proved to be the hero of the game with a walk-off single that won the game for the Noles, who remain undefeated at home this year at 7-0.
As a team the Seminoles had 12 hits, five doubles, and a home run. Starting pitcher Rhett Vaughn gave up five earned runs on six hits. The Seminole bullpen put together 12 strikeouts, led by John Abraham, who had six strikeouts and earned the win for the Noles.
Four-Game Home Stretch
Mercer is headed to Tallahassee on March 4. The Bears are 11-1 and come into this game with confidence as they've won in their last two outings against the Noles. They played as recently as last season, with Mercer upsetting the then No. 5-ranked Noles 9-3. The Bears have outscored the Seminoles 22-9 in their last two games combined.
The Noles will face Northern Kentucky at home for a three-game stretch starting Friday, March. 6. The Norse are 7-4, and on a five-game win streak. NKU has had a few standouts during this hot streak. Sophomore center fielder Mark Nowak is batting .346, with 10 hits and four stolen bases. Senior second baseman Marcus Harrison is batting .406 with 13 hits and 10 runs. Junior third baseman Pierce Bauerle has 14 hits with 13 runs scored. Lastly, sophomore catcher Jake Paulick has 10 hits and 10 runs. The teams will play for three consecutive days with the first pitch set for Friday, March 6 at 6 p.m. ET.
The Gators
FSU will head to Gainesville on March 10 for what will be the first of three games throughout this season against their rival.
The No. 9 Florida Gators are 12-1 and have five players hitting over .300 and three others hitting over .400. With 19 home runs this season from nine different players, the Gators will be ready to play ball.
With a few games scheduled before conference play begins, the Noles have an opportunity to get some payback against Mercer, and they get a nice tune-up series against a less talented Northern Kentucky. Florida is a highly ranked team, and FSU-versus-Florida is always competitive, regardless of the sport, or either team's record.
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