A late-inning collapse and uncharacteristic relief struggles snapped the Seminoles' 35-game winning streak when leading after seven, forcing the national seed into a high-stakes Tallahassee regional elimination bracket.
In a game that was marred by a weather delay, No. 10 national seed Florida State could not hold off the No. 4 seed St. John’s in the eighth inning, giving up three runs and suffered a 6-5 upset loss at the Tallahassee regional on Friday.
Once the weather cleared, the fans were treated to some early scoring. Both teams combined for three home runs in the first two innings, two by Florida State left fielder John Stuetzer (10th of the season) and shortstop Gabe Fraser (first of the season) and one by St. John’s catcher Adam Agresti (18th of the season) as the scoreboard showed a 2-1 lead in favor of the home team.
The Seminoles were ahead 5-2 going into the eighth inning, then St. John’s right fielder Dylan Fitzsimmons launched a home run to deep left field that was the beginning of the end for Florida State.
The Reds Storm added two more runs in the eighth to tie the game at 5-5. That ended a streak of 35 consecutive Florida State victories when leading after seven innings,
Wild pitches and a passed ball by Florida State reliever John Abraham allowed runners to score and to be in scoring position for St, John’s. It was Abraham’s first game action in almost three weeks coming back from injury.
The Red Storm’s third baseman Jayder Raifstanger drove in Fitzsimmons with winning run in the top of the ninth.
In the Seminoles last at-bat in the bottom of the ninth with one out, first baseman Eli Putnam grounded into a game-ending double play. The one-run victory by fourth-seeded St. John’s was the fourth win by No. 4 seeds over No. 1 seeds in tournament action on Friday.
Pitcher Bryson Moore got the start for the Seminoles and went five innings and gave up two earned runs on six hits and struck out six. The relief pitching behind Moore was not good. They allowed a combined four runs on five hits and produced five walks.
Both teams combined for 22 hits, including four home runs. Seminoles outfielder Brayden Dowd collected a double and two RBI for Florida State. Brody DeLameilleure went 0-for-4 at the plate, ending his hitting streak at 18 games.
The Seminoles must now fight their way out of the loser’s bracket. They will take on the loser of Coastal Carolina vs. Northern Illinois on Saturday. Presumably, coach Link Jarrett will send his ace and ACC Pitcher of the Year Wes Mendes to the mound to get a much-needed victory and to avoid their post-season journey from ending prematurely.
How to Watch Game 2
Date: Saturday, May 30
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Location: Dick Howser Stadium, Tallahassee, Florida
Streaming: ESPN App
Radio: 100.7 FM WFLA
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