FSU Rallies to Outslug Oakland, 18-10

Florida State erased a 7-0 deficit to beat Oakland 18-10 on Friday night at Dick Howser Stadium. FSU starter Cole Sands struggled early, but an impressive performance out of the pen from Will Zirzow and timely hitting from Jackson Lueck and Quincy Nieporte helped the Seminoles surge from behind and take the first game of the series.

The Good: After a slow start, the Florida State lineup exploded for 18 runs on 10 hits. FSU was able to score seven runs in the fourth through the sixth inning, but Quincy Nieporte opened the game up with his second grand slam of the season in an 8-run seventh.

From the fifth inning on, FSU outscored Oakland 17-3. Jackson Lueck went 3-for-6 at the plate with four runs batted in. Nieporte finished the day going 1-for-2 with a grand slam, four RBIs, and two walks.

The Bad: Florida State has seen a lot of early success out of its starters this season, while the bullpen has struggled. Fans at Dick Howser saw a little bit of both on Friday night. Sands gave up seven earned runs in three innings pitched. Zirzow however, was impressive when called upon, but Ed Voyles continued to struggle. Voyles gave up three earned runs, and four hits in 1 1/3 innings pitched.

The Ugly: Florida State’s pitching was not good, but Oaklands was worse. Florida State tagged Oakland pitching for 15 earned runs and 10 hits. 12 Noles were walked and four were hit. The Oakland staff threw 217 pitches on the night.

Studs of the Game: It is hard to pass on a guy with a grand slam, but Will Zirzow was called upon down 7-0 and was able to stop the bleeding. Zirzow gave Florida State three good innings pitched, only giving up one hit and no runs.

Duds of the Game: There could be several duds of the game, all of which were pitchers, but Jared Burkert takes the prize for Friday. Burkert recorded no outs for Oakland and gave up four runs on two hits.