An explosive third inning proved too much for Florida State baseball to overcome on Friday night, leading to an 8-5 loss to Boston College to open up ACC play at Dick Howser Stadium. The next two games will be played in a Saturday afternoon doubleheader.
The Good: Boston College was connecting at the plate for almost the entire night. Through the first two innings, the Eagles kept popping it into the outfield and getting fly outs. But starting in the third, those connections turned to production, and the Eagles were routinely putting runners on base. It didn’t always translate to scoring, but it certainly does not help when they’re able to put 15 runners in scoring position and notch 13 hits overall by the end of the game.
The Bad: Florida State’s fielding was very sloppy on Friday. The two errors aren’t necessarily the worst part, since they were relatively inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. It was the basic inability to stop balls in the infield that harmed Florida State’s chances. Multiple times there was a bobbled throw or missed opportunity for an easy out that the Seminoles could not secure. It let Boston College stay on the bags and keep bringing in runs.
The Ugly: Cole Sands’ third inning was the back-breaker for FSU. Sands actually had a decent night all things considered. He pitched for six innings and kept Boston College scoreless in five of them, but giving up six hits and four earned runs (including four straight singles) allowed the Eagles to pull ahead for the rest of the game. The Seminoles made a late push in the seventh inning (three runs), but they could not get over the hump.
Studs of the Game: Boston College starting pitcher Jacob Stevens kept FSU in check with a 5-strikeout, 4-hit performance. He got help from batter Donovan Casey (two hits, two RBIs). Both Taylor Walls and Dylan Busby hit home runs for the Seminoles, combining for four RBIs.
Duds of the Game: Johnny Adams had five at-bats for Boston College but was one of only two Eagles to not have a single hit. It was largely the same story for Nick Derr on the FSU side, who also had four at-bats after getting inserted into the starting lineup. He also had no hits.
Extra Innings: We already know what Mike Martin looks like in a baseball uniform. Who would you want to see more: Leonard Hamilton in a basketball jersey, or Jimbo Fisher in a football uniform? Pads included.
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