Florida State’s offensive explosion powers Noles to second-straight run-rule win, series sweep over Northern Kentucky

· Yahoo Sports

A day after scoring 13 runs and winning after seven innings, Florida State baseball (13-2) put the exclamation point on their series against Northern Kentucky with a 17-3 run-rule win.

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The Seminoles did not mess around to start today’s game as Florida State scored 10 runs on eight hits while bringing 13 men to the plate in the first. After tacking on a run in the second, fourth, and fifth, Link Jarrett’s team put the game to bed with a four-run sixth, including a three-run blast from Brayden Dowd, his second of the game. Dowd was one of seven Seminoles to record a multi-hit game, and he, Myles Bailey, and Kelvyn Paulino Jr. combined for 10 RBI. The offensive explosion was just what the doctor ordered, heading into conference play and one of the most difficult weeks of the season.

For the second-straight day, Florida State jumped out to an early lead in the bottom of the first. John Stuetzer reached base on a single, Noah Sheffield walked and Myles Bailey roped a double off the right-field wall 116 MPH off his bat to score Stuetzer. In the ensuing plate appearance, Kelvyn Paulino Jr. shot a two-RBI base knock into left-center, putting the Noles ahead, 3-0. With one out in the first inning and men on second and third, Nathan Cmeyla drove a cement-mixer breaking ball back up the middle, plating the two runners as FSU extended its lead to 5-0.

After Cmeyla stole second was driven in by Will Bavaro, John Stuetzer put the exclamation mark on the bottom half of the first. The true freshman blasted a two-run homer to the opposite field for his first-career long ball as a Seminole, blowing the game open, 8-0. But the Nole offense was not finished. Noah Sheffield ambushed the first pitch of his at-bat for a double before Myles Bailey drilled a lefty-lefty two-run bomb to the deepest part of the park as Florida State put this game into run-rule territory, 10-0.

RHP Bryson Moore fired a 1-2-3 top half of the first, but was tagged for three runs in the second as the Norse responded to FSU’s 10-run first. In the home half of the second, Will Bavaro pounded an opposite-field double into the right-field corner, scoring Brayden Dowd from first as Florida State took a run back, 11-3.

Sheffield’s white-hot weekend continued into the third. The Tampa native slapped his third hit of the day back up the middle before stealing second and third on an errant throw from the NKU catcher. Bailey and Putnam walked to load the bases, but a fielder’s choice left them loaded. However, FSU added another run in the fourth as Bavaro walked, Cal Fisher doubled and Sheffield’s fielder’s choice brought in the freshman from third.

Moore finished his outing with a clean top half of the fifth, including striking out the first two batters of the inning. The former UVA transfer went 5.0 innings, allowing three runs with seven strikeouts and one walk across 76 pitches. He did not throw as many strikes today, with just 46, although he recorded a career-high in strikeouts, but battled through his start without his best stuff. The Noles will take five innings of three-run ball from their Sunday arm any time.

Brayden Dowd put the game back into run-rule potential in the fifth with a solo homer to left field, a welcome sight after missing the last few weeks with an injury. In the sixth, Kelvyn Paulino Jr.’s chopper up the middle scored Fisher and provided run-rule insurance before Dowd put the game to bed. With two on and two out, the USC transfer scorched his second homer in as many at-bats, a three-run missile to dead center.

Cole Stokes entered in the sixth, and his resurgence continued as he punched out the first two men he faced before a flyout ended the frame. True freshman Manny Latigua received the seventh and closed out FSU’s series sweep with two strikeouts as part of a perfect inning.

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