For all but two players on Florida State's roster, this was a brand-new experience.
Facing rival Miami inside of a packed Dick Howser Stadium.
Fans of both teams chirping between seemingly every pitch.
A heated battle that saw the No. 6 Hurricanes win the first game of a doubleheader, 8-2, before the No. 21 Seminoles stormed back to win the nightcap, 6-4.
"Brought back the old days," FSU head coach Mike Martin Jr. said. "That's the rockin' Howser. And it's effective."
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It had been far too long.
Because the 2020 season was cut short by the COVID pandemic, Florida State hadn't hosted Miami since 2018. And that series was played so long ago that outfielder Reese Albert and relief pitcher Jonah Scolaro are the only remaining Seminoles who were on the team back then; oddly enough, first baseman Alex Toral also made an appearance in that series, but he was a freshman for UM at the time.
So this was unique for him as well.
And after a four-year wait, a lively crowd of 5,567 was treated to a fun and competitive, if not always well-played, game Saturday night between the bitter rivals.
"They whipped us in game one," Martin Jr. said. "Really impressed with our guys -- bounced back, the enthusiasm and focus, and got it done in game two."
Indeed, after the Hurricanes (37-13, 18-8 ACC) cruised to an easy win earlier in the day, FSU (31-18, 14-12) jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the third inning of the nightcap. And that was all the offense the Seminoles would need with the way starter Bryce Hubbart and reliever Wyatt Crowell were pitching.
Hubbart (8-1) recorded the win after allowing three runs (one earned) on four hits in five complete innings; the sophomore left-hander struck out 10 while surrendering just two walks.
Crowell then pitched the final four innings and allowed only one unearned run. He struck out seven with no walks and gave up just two hits, including a bunt single, to pick up his second save of the season.
"That was everything I thought it was going to be," Crowell said of the competition and atmosphere Saturday night. "I don't know if it can be any crazier than that, to be honest. Meat (Martin Jr.) tells us, 'Miami, Miami.' It's a great team, and they brought some fans too."
Said Hubbart: "Just pure energy, that was probably the most I've seen [in] Howser. And I've been here for 2 1/2 [years]. It was pretty electric tonight."
While Hubbart got FSU off to a strong start, it was Crowell who might have been the MVP.
After the Seminoles pushed their lead to 6-3 in the bottom of the fifth, Crowell came in and delivered an important shutdown inning in the sixth, striking out two of the three batters he faced.
The sophomore did get himself into a jam in the seventh, loading the bases with a single, hit-by-pitch and bunt single. But after catcher Colton Vincent allowed a run to score on a passed ball, Crowell struck out the next two batters and then coaxed a fly ball for the third out.
"That was pretty crazy," Crowell said. "I didn't know for a second if they were going to take me out or not. They left me in there, and that really fired me up on the inside. I was like, 'I've got to do this for the team.' That was a lot of fun."
During the final two innings, FSU's fans -- led by The Animals of Section B -- showered Crowell with chants of, "Let's go Wyatt! Let's go Wyatt!"
And the talented left-hander from Georgia, who topped out at a higher-than-usual 98 mph on Saturday, responded by retiring Miami's final nine batters in order. The only 'Cane who reached base during that stretch did so after Vincent couldn't handle a third strike in the dirt. But Crowell coaxed a double-play ball from the next batter.
"It was awesome. I got the chills about 30 times," Crowell said. "It was great. That was so much fun. ... It's definitely why I hit 98. I mean, it was electric. I had so much adrenaline right when I came in the game. I was trying to keep myself calm. Those fans, they were nuts."
Third baseman Logan Lacey, who came in as a pinch hitter in the eighth, ended the game with a diving stop on a hard-hit ground ball. It was one of several nice defensive plays on the night for FSU, including a sprinting catch at the center-field wall by Albert in the fourth inning.
Albert's play likely prevented two Miami runs from scoring.
"Big-time play," Martin Jr. said. "That's one that you know you're gonna run into that thing. And if it's a chain-link [fence] behind the pads, no big deal. You're not gonna get hurt. But that's straight, old-school cinder block. It's hard. So for him to go and do that -- just say, 'I'm catching this ball' -- and he went a long way to get that thing. Huge play."
The game wasn't played sharply throughout, however. The teams combined for four errors, and only one of Miami's four runs was earned.
FSU was led offensively by leadoff hitter Tyler Martin, who went 3-for-3 and also reached safely on a walk and a hit-by-pitch. Shortstop Jordan Carrion went 2-for-4 and blasted a two-run home run in the third inning. Second baseman Brett Roberts also went 3-for-5.
The Seminoles recorded 10 hits as a team, compared to just six for Miami, but they kept the game close by stranding 12 runners on base.
Martin reached third base with no outs in the fourth and sixth innings and didn't score either time. Then the 'Noles had runners at second and third with one out in the eighth, and they again came up empty.
Florida State and Miami will conclude the three-game series today at noon on ESPN2.
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