Round 1 goes to Georgia Tech. But Florida State also gave away chances to win.
The Seminoles had runners in scoring position with one out in the top of the ninth after a double steal, with Chase Williams safely at third and John Stuetzer at second. But Cal Fisher grounded weakly back to right-hander Mason Patel, who threw to first for out No. 2. With Stuetzer on the move to third, Williams tried to come home but was tagged out to end the game.
As a result the No. 5 Seminoles took a 4-3 loss to the No. 3 Yellow Jackets on Thursday night in a matchup of the ACC’s top two teams.
Neither FSU nor Georgia Tech has lost an ACC series this season. That will put pressure on FSU, which sends left-hander Trey Beard to the mound for game 2 on Friday at 8 p.m. (ACC Network).
The first game of the series was entertaining and frustrating for the Seminoles (24-9, 9-4 ACC), who took the early lead but squandered scoring opportunities late in the game.
In the top of the second, Eli Putnam walked and Williams singled — allowing Putnam to race to third. But Williams was caught stealing at second, with his hand and foot coming off the bag.
Stuetzer followed with an RBI single to bring home Putnam. Fisher then launched a first-pitch, two-run homer to give FSU a 3-0 lead (but the missed run came back to haunt the Seminoles later).
Georgia Tech (28-5, 13-3) got a run in the bottom of the second to cut the lead to 3-1.
Wes Mendes pitched quite well against a loaded Georgia Tech lineup, holding the Yellow Jackets to just the one run through five innings — including a 1-2-3 fifth that featured a pair of strikeouts.
But with Mendes’ pitch count rising and his control fading, the left-hander issued a pair of singles to lead off the sixth. Mendes had nine strikeouts and three walks in 5.1 innings, tossing a season-high 114 pitches (70 strikes).
Right-hander John Abraham, who had an ERA of 0.61 coming into Thursday and has been one of the top relievers in the ACC, struggled immediately. He issued a balk, an RBI single to Carson Derce and a runner scored on a wild pitch to tie it up at 3. Abraham (1-1) then got a strikeout, but GT star Drew Burress had an RBI single to take the lead.
FSU also had a scoring opportunity in the eighth as Brayden Dowd led off with a double. Coach Link Jarrett went to the bench, calling on pinch-hitter Nathan Cmeyla to hit for Noah Sheffield. Cmeyla grounded out. Hunter Carns grounded out, allowing Dowd to advance. But then Kelvyn Paulino Jr. flew out to end the inning.
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