For the third time in less than a week, Florida State won in walk-off fashion. For the second time, freshman Reese Albert was the hero. For the second straight year, that’s how the Seminoles began the ACC Tournament. For the 41st straight season, the team has won at least 40 games.
Albert’s 11th-inning double off the right field wall in Durham on Tuesday lifted the sixth-seeded Seminoles to a thrilling 3-2 win over No. 10 seed Virginia to open the ACC Tournament. Albert had a walk-off 3-run home run in the 10th inning of Friday’s 6-3 win over NC State. The Seminoles and Wolfpack will play in Durham on Friday night with a spot in the ACC semifinals on the line.
The Good: The FSU bullpen was outstanding on Tuesday as lefties Austin Pollock and Clayton Kwiatkowski combined to throw eight scoreless innings. The two allowed just one total hit while walking six and striking out four.
The Bad: The big hit was hard to come by for both teams on Tuesday. The Seminoles and Cavaliers each left nine men on base. Neither team had a hit with runners in scoring position after the fourth inning.
The Ugly: Virginia looked poised for a big inning in the third. With one run already in and two runners on with no outs, the Cavaliers nearly ran themselves into a triple play. As Tanner Morris struck out, designated hitter Brendan Rivoli was picked off of second base by FSU catcher Cal Raleigh. Justin Novak narrowly slid into second base safely to avoid the triple play.
Studs of the Game: Reese Albert played the hero, going 2-for-5 with the winning RBI double for the Seminoles. Jackson Lueck was 3-for-5 with a run scored. The FSU bullpen of Pollock and Kwiatkowski deserves credit as does Virginia starting pitcher Daniel Lynch, who allowed just two runs on seven hits and four walks while striking out seven in seven innings.
Duds of the Game: Virginia’s Tanner Morris was 0-for-4 in Tuesday’s loss. For FSU, Rafael Bournigal and J.C. Flowers were each 0-for-5 with a combined five strikeouts.
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson
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