A 10-run seventh inning turned what was a competitive game for most of the night into a laugher on Friday as Florida State powered past N.C. State in the first of three games in Raleigh, 16-7.
Cole Sands went six solid innings to pick up the win for Florida State while the offense scored its most runs in ACC play this season and the most in a game since March 3. The Seminoles are back over .500 in ACC play at 7-6 and will go for the series victory on Saturday.
The Good: The Florida State offense was outstanding on Friday night, pounding out 16 runs on 16 hits, which included seven for extra bases. Headlined by the 10-run seventh, FSU had four frames where it scored multiple runs.
The Bad: After the 10-run seventh gave FSU a 14-3 lead, the bullpen allowed the Wolfpack to get a sense of life as Jim Voyles allowed four runs, two earned, in 1 1/3 innings of work. An error by catcher Cal Raleigh allowed two unearned runs for N.C. State. It was the fourth time in five games that FSU had yielded unearned runs.
The Ugly: After a decent start from Sean Adler, the Wolfpack bullpen gave up 12 runs in just four innings of relief. The N.C. State defense also had a tough night with three errors, including two from third baseman Evan Mendoza.
Studs of the Game: For Florida State, infielders Taylor Walls and Drew Mendoza combined for six hits, three runs and seven RBIs. Nick Derr was 2-for-4 with three runs scored and an RBI. For N.C. State, Brett Kinneman was 2-for-4 with a solo home run, two runs scored and three RBIs.
Duds of the Game: The entire N.C. State bullpen could take this distinction, but the worst night might have belonged to Joe O’Donnell. After working out of a jam in the sixth, O’Donnell gave up five runs in the seventh without recording an out. In addition to the two errors in the field, Evan Mendoza was 0-for-3 at the dish with a strikeout. Voyles had a rough night for FSU.
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson
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