Florida State finished perfect in pool play for a second straight ACC Tournament. The Seminoles advanced Saturday by beating Miami, 5-4 on a walk-off single by Dylan Busby in the bottom of the 9th inning.
The victory marks the eighth straight for FSU in the ACC Tournament and second walk-off win over Miami in a week. The Seminoles win Pool A and will face Pool B winner Clemson on Sunday for the conference crown. FSU beat N.C. State for the ACC title last season. The Seminoles are seeking to become the first team to win consecutive ACC Tournaments since Wake Forest in 1998 and 1999.
The Good: The Seminoles got a second straight outstanding start against Miami from freshman left-hander Tyler Holton. Holton allowed just two runs on seven hits over seven innings. Holton struck out nine while walking only two. The Seminoles also had a good day at the plate with 11 hits.
The Bad: Florida State didn’t exactly maximize its scoring opportunities on Saturday as FSU left 11 men on base in the victory. The Seminoles squandered an opportunity to break a 2-2 tie in the sixth after loading the bases with one out. A pop-up from Steven Wells Jr. and a flyout by Taylor Walls ended the threat.
The Ugly: Tyler Warmoth continues to be shaky at the back end of the FSU bullpen. Warmoth came in to start the ninth with the Seminoles nursing a 4-2 lead. Warmoth loaded the bases while recording just one out. Two of those runs would come around to score for Miami, marking Warmoth’s fifth blown save this season. Warmoth’s ERA also ballooned to over five.
Studs of the Game: Holton’s pitching performance certainly puts him on this list, but it was Dylan Busby who stole the show. Busby finished 4-for-5 with a 2-run home run and a walk-off single. Over the three games in Durham, Busby has driven in seven runs. Quincy Nieporte reached base four times for FSU, going 3-for-3 with a pair of RBIs and a run scored. For Miami, Michael Mediavilla gave the Hurricanes a solid start, yielding just two runs in six innings. Edgar Michelangeli tied the game in the ninth inning with a 2-run single for the Hurricanes. Randy Batista was 2-for-3 with a double, a triple, two runs scored and an RBI.
Duds of the Game: Warmoth takes the dubious distinction for FSU in this one, giving up two runs in just a third of an inning. Ben DeLuzio was 0-for-5 at the plate for the Seminoles. The No. 3, 4 and 5 hitters of Zack Collins, Brandon Lopez and Johnny Ruiz for Miami were a combined 0-for-10 with five strikeouts.
Extra Innings: Florida State third baseman John Sansone was twice hit by a pitch in Saturday’s victory. That gives Sansone 62 hit-by-pitches for his career, which is a new FSU record. The previous mark was 61, held by Karl Jernigan.
Jeremy Esbrandt/FSU athletics
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