PENSACOLA — Eli Putnam made quite the first impression in the Florida State baseball team’s exhibition against Mississippi State on Saturday afternoon.

The Davidson transfer had a solo home run beyond the left-field wall in left field and added a single earlier in FSU’s second game.

“I knew off the bat I hit it about as well as you could hit a ball,” Putnam said. “I saw it go up – I knew it had a good chance. … I was pretty happy about it.”

Kelvyn Paulino Jr. had the game-winning RBI single with two out sin the bottom of the sixth as FSU defeated Mississippi State 5-2. Paulino Jr. (pictured above) is a freshman who went 2 for 3 in FSU’s second game and played left field.

Mississippi State defeated FSU 4-1 in the first seven-inning game.

Putnam’s home run was one of only two extra-base hits for FSU in the 14 innings on Saturday, although the wind was gusting in or from right to left off Pensacola Bay. Jace Estes added a two-run double in the seventh inning of game 2.

“It was clearly a tricky day with the wind blowing in at 20 or 25 miles per hour,” FSU coach Link Jarrett said. “It was interesting playing in this. … Putnam throttled that ball to get it out of there. And that was still questionable as to whether it was going to leave.”

The FSU-Mississippi State games were sold out, filling all 5,038 seats with fans overflowing onto the deck, berm and walkways beyond right field at Blue Wahoos Stadium (the Double-A home of the Miami Marlins). There was a large group of Seminoles fans, including the Animals of Section B, behind FSU’s dugout on the first-base line.

Of note, left-hander Wes Mendes pitched on Thursday at Dick Howser Stadium and did not throw on Saturday. Mendes was in the weekend rotation for FSU this spring.

Below are notes on FSU’s hitters and pitchers in both games.

FSU’s hitters in game 1

Noah Sheffield had two of FSU’s five hits in game 1, including an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh that scored Cal Fisher (who started the inning with a hit by pitch).

Myles Bailey went 1 for 2 with a single and a walk.

Southern Cal transfer Brayden Dowd hit leadoff for FSU in the first game, going 0 for 3 with a walk. Dowd played center field.

Arkansas transfer Gabe Fraser played shortstop in game 1. He went 1 for 3 with a single and had the best defensive play for FSU in the first game. He ranged right through shallow left field to track down a fly ball over to the bullpen mound before losing his footing but grabbing the ball for the final out of the inning.

The Seminoles had just five hits, all singles and they came in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings.

FSU’s pitchers in game 1

Bryson Moore tossed a 1-2-3 first inning, including a strikeout swinging of Mississippi State’s Noah Sullivan. Moore gave up a pair of doubles in the second, including James Nunnallee’s ground-rule double that scored two runs as Mississippi State took a 2-0 lead. The Virginia transfer right-hander had three strikeouts and hit a batter.

Trey Beard, a Florida Atlantic transfer, allowed a single and a walk but had two shutout innings. The left-hander was helped by a 5-4-3 double play that was started by Fisher.

Ben Barrett gave up two walks, with one of the runners scoring the Bulldogs’ third run, in the fifth inning. Cooper Whited, a lefty from Gulf Coast State College, gave up three singles in the sixth that led to an earned run. Left-hander Payton Manca tossed a 1-2-3 seventh inning.

How FSU lined up in game 1

Brayden Dowd - CF

Brody DeLamielleure - RF

Myles Bailey - 1B

Hunter Carns - C

Cal Fisher - 3B

Gabe Fraser - SS

Carter McCulley - 2B

Noah Sheffield - DH

John Stuetzer - LF

FSU’s hitters in game 2

The Seminoles got on the board early. Kelvyn Paulino Jr. had an RBI single to tie the game at 1.

Putnam’s home run brought the Seminoles out of the dugout to celebrate.

Estes had a bases-loaded double that scored two runs in the seventh.

Sheffield had a diving catch in right field in the fifth inning. He went 0 for 3 at the plate in game 2.

Pinch hitter Mookie Rodriguez had a pinch-hit single in the seventh.

BJ Gibson had a walk and a pair of strikeouts. Gibson left the football team earlier this month to focus on baseball. He played center field.

FSU’s pitchers in game 2

Oregon transfer right-hander Cole Stokes started and was wild. He issued three walks. The first, to leadoff hitter Peter Mershon, allowed Mississippi State to score its first run.

Southern Cal transfer Brodie Purcell tossed two shutout innings but also gave up three walks. In the third inning, Purcell gave up a two-out walk but then got Andrew Raymond to strike out looking.

Left-hander Kevin Mebil, a transfer from FAU and Barry, pitched the fourth inning. Mebil gave up a pair of walks in the fourth, but he was able to strand runners in scoring position by inducing an inning-ending groundout to Eli Putnam at third.

Right-hander Cade O’Leary, a Mississippi State transfer, pitched two innings. He allowed a leadoff single to Drew Wyers, who advanced to second on a fielding error and later scored on Jacob Parker’s double. O’Leary recorded two strikeouts in a scoreless sixth.

Right-hander Manny Lantigua pitched the seventh for FSU.

How FSU lined up in game 2

Noah Sheffield - RF

Jace Estes - 2B

Eli Putnam - 3B

Kelvyn Paulino - LF

John Stuetzer - DH

Kaden Frommelt - C

Will Bavaro - SS

Charlie Buckles - 1B

BJ Gibson - CF

Up next

FSU will play host to UAB on Oct. 25 at noon. Fan Day will be held following the UAB game. The Garnet & Gold All-Star Game will be played on Oct. 31 at 6:30 p.m., with a Home Run Derby to follow. Tickets are available on Seminoles.com.

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