Big fourth inning, Peyton Prescott propel No. 5 FSU to series win at Miami
For a few innings, it looked scarily similar to Friday's loss.
A Florida State starting pitcher was struggling with his command. The FSU offense was struggling with leaving runners on base.
Thankfully for the Seminoles, one big inning changed the ending this time.
Trailing 3-2 entering the fourth inning, No. 5 FSU baseball plated seven runs on eight singles in the fourth frame. That was enough to catapult the Seminoles (20-3, 5-1 in ACC) to a 10-6 series-clinching win over rival Miami (14-11, 1-5) Saturday night in the rubber match at Mark Light Field in Coral Gables.
The first seven batters of the FSU fourth reached base, six of them on singles and another on a walk. The Seminoles brought 12 batters to the plate that inning and brought home seven runs on eight hits (all singles), with Brody DeLamielleure and Jaxson West totaling two singles apiece in the inning.
Max Williams and Gage Harrelson each had RBI singles in that fifth inning and led the team with two hits and three RBI apiece.
That huge inning at the plate was much-needed for the Seminoles as Sunday starter Wes Mendes was battling his first subpar start of the season. After the Ole Miss transfer had allowed just two runs, issued three walks and hit two batters in his first five FSU starts combined (27.1 innings), Mendes walked four batters, hit three more and had three wild pitches vs. Miami.
He was tagged for three runs in the first two innings and then allowed three more in the bottom of the fourth right after FSU's big inning at the plate and saw his ERA balloon from 0.66 to 2.30.
After the Seminoles erupted at the plate in the fourth, the bats largely went quiet the rest of the way. They managed just one more hit in their final five innings at the plate, Williams' 10th home run of the season in the eighth inning, a solo shot.
In the wrong bullpen circumstances, that offensive fall-off could have spelled trouble for the Seminoles. Peyton Prescott made sure that wasn't a problem with a sensational extended appearance out of the bullpen.
The sophomore righty was put into the game after Mendes hit the leadoff batter in the fifth inning and was pulled. He walked the first batter he faced, but then locked in quite well.
Prescott got out of the fourth unscathed and then settled in well, allowing just two hits and two walks over four scoreless innings, racking up seven strikeouts.
Joe Charles got the ninth for the Seminoles and closed out the series victory with a scoreless final inning of work.
Overall, the FSU bullpen allowed no runs on five innings with eight strikeouts, three walks and two hits allowed.
Up Next
FSU will go from facing one in-state rival this weekend to another during the midweek.
The second game of the FSU-UF series is set for a 6 p.m. start on Tuesday at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. The Seminoles will look to avenge their 7-2 loss two weeks prior in Tallahassee.
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