Virginia uses six-run inning to take series from FSU

Florida State’s competitive start to Saturday’s game unraveled with Virginia’s six-run seventh inning.

Carson Montgomery pitched 5.1 innings of relief and had the Seminoles in good position after a short start from Ryan Denison, but Virginia poured it on in the seventh and the Cavaliers took a 12-4 win on Saturday.

No. 8 Virginia took the series by scoring six runs in the seventh inning, and the Cavaliers (21-2, 6-2 ACC) did all of it after starting the inning with two flyouts.

FSU (12-11, 3-5) has lost eight of its last nine games. It was a second straight ACC series loss after Boston College took two of three games in Tallahassee.

The Seminoles generated six hits. James Tibbs went 2 for 3 with a home run, double and two runs scored. Jaime Ferrer went 2 for 4 with an RBI. Titan Kamaka had a solo home run in the ninth.

Denison started but went just 1.1 innings, giving up three walks and two hits to the nine batters he faced. He allowed an earned run.

Montgomery gave up six hits and four walks in 5.1 innings, and his six earned runs looks far worse when factoring in the struggles that he had as well as the bullpen in retiring a final out in the seventh. The junior right-hander had been the Sunday starter but came out of the bullpen on Saturday to eat up some necessary innings with Denison’s short start, which was likely not scheduled to go that long anyway but was quite short.

Coach Link Jarrett did not turn to FSU’s top bullpen arms as the game got out of hand. In the final innings, he opted to save some of the Seminoles’ top pitchers for Sunday’s finale.

FSU and Virginia wrap the series on Sunday at 1 p.m. (ACC Network Extra). The Seminoles have not announced a starter for the game, although there are a few options. David Barrett pitched well in appearances at UCF and vs. Florida, for example. No update on Wyatt Crowell has been officially provided by FSU.