Son defeats father as NC State claims crucial victory over Florida State in a tense ACC matchup.
Florida State hosted NC State on Friday night in defense of their house, Dick Howser Stadium, a venue where the Seminoles were undefeated at 12-0 this season.
It was a father/son game of sorts. FSU coach Link Jarrett was in the home dugout, while his son JT was in the visitors as a member of the NC State coaching staff.
The young Jarrett was a former baseball star with the Wolfpack. He posted 102 career RBIs and logged a .980 fielding percentage, committing just 16 errors over his five-year career with the Wolfpack.
Jarrett joined the NC State staff in 2023 after spending one season at Mississippi State.
Friday night’s game resulted in a check mark in the loss column for No. 11 Florida State, just their fourth of the season.
They were defeated by No. 10 NC State 6-4. It was FSU’s first loss at Mike Martin Field this season.
Florida State's Myles Bailey continued to display his prowess with a bat in his hands, launching a 3-run home run to give the Seminoles the lead at 4-2 in the bottom of the fifth. It was his 10th homer of the season.
With the exception of Bailey, Brayden Dowd, Nathan Cmeyla, and Kelvyn Paulino, the Seminoles lineup went silent at the plate, limited to just five hits on the night.
NC State added their own 3-run inning in the sixth. Then they were the beneficiaries of an FSU wild pitch and a fielding error that resulted in another run for the Wolfpack to take a 6-4 lead.
In his post-game press conference, FSU coach Link Jarrett spoke about how NC State “stacked more good at-bats” than the Seminoles did.
The Seminoles were held scoreless over the final four innings. Their last-ditch effort was in vain as NC State pitcher Anderson Nance retired the side to end the game and secure a victory for the Wolfpack. Nance recorded his first save of the season.
NC State starter Ryan Marohn earned the victory, his fourth win of the season. Marohn struck out 10 FSU hitters on 104 pitches before being pulled in the sixth inning.
Seminoles starter Wes Mendes (5-1) suffered the loss, his first of the season.
Game 2 on Saturday will pit FSU’s Trey Beard (2-0, 1.89 ERA 28 strikeouts, five walks) against NC State’s Jacob Dudan (4-0, 2.01 ERA, 40 strikeouts/four walks).
How to Watch Game 2
Date: Saturday, March 21
Time: 2 PM ET
Venue: Mike Martin Field, Dick Howser Stadium
Location: Tallahassee, Florida
Watch: Streaming on ACC Extra
Listen: 100.7 FM WFLA
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