It took the full nine innings to decide the outcome, but Florida State baseball emerged victorious over the Troy Trojans by a score of 6-5 on Saturday afternoon to clinch the series.
Drew Mendoza hit the walk-off single to right to win it in the ninth. The Seminoles improved to 6-0 with the win and will go for the series sweep at home on Sunday.
The Good: Fans who wanted the bats to come alive got their wish. Offensive production from both teams was markedly better Saturday, with each side getting at least nine hits at the plate. That includes one home run, nine RBIs, and 37 runners on base. Troy was clearly the beneficiary from this uptick in hitting, since it more than doubled its Friday outing and had the game tied in the seventh.
The Bad: Florida State pitching down the stretch was its worst of the season up to this point. Whereas in the previous contests the pitching solidified wins, Saturday’s options led to Troy rallying from a pair of 3-run deficits to tie the game by the seventh inning. Clayton Kwiatkowski gave up two earned runs and two walks, while Jonah Scolaro allowed two hits and one walk himself. Both were in for just one inning.
The Ugly: Troy’s fielding came back to bite it later in the game. The Trojans committed three errors today, including one that allowed a runner for FSU to score. When you lose a game by a single run, that’s the type of play that wanders in your mind when you look back on the contest.
Studs of the Game: Drew Parrish produced yet another quality start. He pitched for over five innings and allowed one earned run while striking out eight. Drew Mendoza gets the offensive designation for his two RBIs and two hits, one of which was the walk-off single in the ninth inning. Matt Sanders of Troy was a bright spot for the Trojans with his two hits, including a solo home run.
Duds of the Game: Daren Osby was the starting pitcher for Troy and gave up three earned runs in the first inning. He also allowed seven hits. Clayton Kwiatkowski did not do well in relief for Parrish, as he quickly gave up two runs of his own.
Extra Innings: Has anyone done an analysis on Florida State’s win-loss record in its various colored uniforms? We have that info for football, but I see no reason why the superstitions can’t carry over to the baseball diamond. That leads to a similar question: will FSU baseball ever get all black outfits?
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