FSU rallies in 13th for win over USF - TheOsceola: Florida State Seminoles Football & Basketball Recruiting

Published Mar 1, 2023

FSU rallies in 13th for win over USF

Bob Ferrante • TheOsceola

Editor

Nander De Sedas had a two-run double in the bottom of the 13th inning to give the Florida State baseball team a wild 7-6 win over South Florida on Wednesday night.

FSU (7-1) trailed 6-4 going into the bottom of the inning.

Jordan Carrion hit a one-out RBI triple in the 13th to bring home a run and cut USF's lead to 6-5. Gunnett Carlson then was hit by a pitch to give the Seminoles runners at the corners with one out. Titan Kamaka struck out swinging but De Sedas bloop hit into shallow center field went off the glove of USF shortstop Bobby Boser.

"To win that thing late like that it's very important for the guys to feel something like that because up until that moment when that ball landed and poor Connor Moore stumbled around third base and he's going a mile a minute, until you get to that point, there were some tough innings," FSU coach Link Jarrett said.

The Seminoles rallied in unlikely fashion after a cold night at the plate in the later innings. USF scored two runs in the top of the 13th.

FSU struck out 16 times in the game. Freshman Cam Smith struck out five times. After the seventh, Treyton Rank had a two-out single in the 10th but there were no other hits until the 13th.

Conner Whittaker had seven strikeouts and Wyatt Crowell had six strikeouts as FSU pitchers combined for 21.

Andrew Armstrong (1-0) got a strikeout to end the top of the 13th.

John Montes went 3 for 6 with a solo home run for USF (3-6).

FSU jumped on USF left-hander Nolan Hudi early, scoring three runs in the first inning. After Jaime Ferrer led off with a single, James Tibbs crushed a first-pitch home run to right-center field. It was Tibbs’ second home run of the season and gave him 11 RBI in eight games. Cade Bush later had an RBI double, bringing home Jordan Carrion.

Nander De Sedas had an RBI single in the sixth. Ferrer went 1 for 6 hitting from the leadoff spot. DeAmez Ross was not in the starting lineup, and Jarrett said there is no timetable for his return.

Freshman left-hander Jamie Arnold tossed three hitless innings, striking out four. He allowed a walk and hit two batters, but he was relatively efficient in throwing 36 pitches (23 strikes).

Arnold’s low pitch count in his Saturday start as well as the USF game leaves the door open for how the FSU coaching staff will use him in this weekend’s series against Florida Gulf Coast, which begins on Friday.

FSU bullpen taxed

Crowell inherited runners on first and second in the sixth, tossing a wild pitch to allow the Bulls to move both runners in scoring position. The left-hander gave up an RBI groundout but then retired the next two hitters to limit the damage. He also struck out the side in the seventh.

But Crowell ran into trouble in the eighth. He loaded the bases with three straight walks before allowing a run to score on a groundout to tie it at 4 and then recorded a pair of strikeouts to halt USF’s threat. Crowell was more wild than usual, giving up three walks and striking out six in three innings (58 pitches, 31 strikes).

Conner Whittaker tossed four shutout innings before giving up both runs in the 13th, striking out seven on 71 pitches (49 strikes). FSU’s bullpen was certainly taxed, with Crowell and Whittaker not available for Friday's game.