Not surprisingly, Florida State showed no quit after a disappointing loss on Saturday night. In the first elimination game of the College World Series in Omaha on Monday, FSU was able to stave off elimination with a 6-4 victory over Cal State Fullerton.
The Seminoles answered a 3-run sixth inning for Cal State Fullerton with a 3-run seventh to go ahead for good. Back-to-back walks to Quincy Nieporte and Cal Raleigh gave FSU the lead before Matt Henderson added an RBI infield single. FSU will play another elimination game on Wednesday against either LSU or Oregon State. The Titans are the first team eliminated.
The Good: Unlike the Cal State Fullerton bullpen that surrendered the lead, the FSU pen was outstanding. Chase Haney, Alec Byrd and Drew Carlton combined to allow just one hit in 3 1/3 shutout innings.
The Bad: Cal State Fullerton allowed plenty of free bases on Monday, surrendering eight walks and one hit batter. The Titans also managed just six strikeouts.
The Ugly: Florida State was able to take the lead in the seventh inning merely by taking pitches. After Taylor Walls singled and Dylan Busby doubled with FSU trailing 4-3, three straight Seminoles walked to bring in the go-ahead run before the Titans had recorded an out.
Studs of the Game: Drew Mendoza hit a solo home run and scored a pair of runs for FSU on Monday. Matt Henderson was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Steven Wells, Jr. also drove in a pair of runs. The FSU bullpen trio deserves credit, too. For Cal State Fullerton, Timmy Richards had a 2-run home run in the sixth that gave the Titans a 4-3 lead.
Duds of the Game: Jack Pabich and Blake Workman take the dubious distinction for the Titans. The two combined to allow three runs in the seventh without recording an out. At the plate for Cal State Fullerton, Sahid Valenzuela was 0-for-4. Chris Hudgins was 0-for-3 with three strikeouts.
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson
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