Sasaki's ninth-inning blast snatched victory from No. 8 Florida State, completing an upset sweep and stunning the Seminoles' NCAA tournament hopes.
A walk-off home run swatted from 2012 gave back a victory that Stanford had lost 12 years ago, the last time Stanford played Florida State.
On Sunday, Cardinal first baseman Rintaro Sasaki erased a one-run deficit in the bottom of the ninth inning with one swing of the bat to defeat No. 8 Florida State 7-4 at the Sunken Diamond to complete the sweep of the Seminoles.
The Florida State (29-14, 12-9 in ACC) pitching staff failed to close the deal against Stanford (21-19, 10-11 in ACC) for the second straight game, losing control of the strike zone.
The Seminoles gave up two singles and a walk in the final frame to load the bases and set the stage for Sasaki’s heroics.
Florida State used up six of their pitching arms as Brodie Purcell (3-1) took the loss.
After being projected earlier this week as one of the top national seeds (#11) for the upcoming NCAA baseball tournament, the curse of national recognition manifested itself on Sunday as the Seminoles could not get off the field victorious.
With just nine ACC games left (3 series), that projection may be in jeopardy.
Against Stanford on Sunday, Florida State was led by Hunter Carns (RBI single), Cal Fisher (RBI single), and Eli Putnam (solo HR) and looked to be on their way to victory.
It was Putnam’s eighth home run of the season and leads the team.
But Stanford’s Sasaki had other ideas as his performance in the pressure-packed moment cemented his status in the annals of Stanford baseball history.
With the loss, Florida State is now tied for fourth place in the conference with the Miami Hurricanes, the Seminoles opponent to close out the regular season.
Florida State has three ACC series left on their schedule, beginning with a weekend series with Pitt beginning on Friday, May 1.
Now with their backs against the wall, it appears the Seminoles may have to win out the rest of their conference games and play flawless baseball in the ACC tournament against the likes of North Carolina (17-7 in ACC) and Georgia Tech (19-5 in ACC) to stay on the postseason radar.
If there is a glimmer of hope for this Florida State team, it is that they play eight of their last eleven games at home at Dick Howser Stadium, a venue where the Seminoles boast a 20-3 record on the season.
A five-game home stand begins on Tuesday against the South Florida Bulls.
How to Watch
Date: Wednesday, April 29
Time: 4:00 p.m. ET
Location: Dick Howser Stadium, Tallahassee, Florida
TV: ACC Network
Radio: 100.7 FM WFLA
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