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Record-breaking second inning carries FSU baseball to blowout win over Mercer

· Yahoo Sports

The the last two seasons, Florida State baseball (10-2) has fallen to Mercer (11-2), and it seemed as if the Bears had the Noles’ number.

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Not anymore.

Between a monster day for the Seminoles at the plate and a little-league performance from MU on the mound and in the field, Link Jarrett’s squad annihilated Mercer, 22-5, in a run-rule victory, the second-straight day with a Florida State baseball win.

FSU scored 13 runs in the second inning on just four hits, as Mercer hit four batters, walked four more, and committed an error in the frame. Then, the Seminoles recorded nine hits in their final three half innings at the plate, including three-run homers from Will Bavaro and Noah Sheffield, both their first-career bombs in garnet and gold. With runs and quality at-bats hard to come by for the Seminoles to start the year, today was a massive step forward, even if the competition laid an egg.

For the second day in a row, the Florida State fell behind in the first as old friend Titan Kamaka roped a two-out RBI double into left to put FSU behind, 1-0. LHP Cooper Whited, who made a surprise start, settled in during the second, stranding a runner in scoring position with one out to keep the score, 1-0.

After a 1-2-3 bottom half of the first, the Mercer pitching staff capitulated in the second, and the Noles capitalized. The first three men of the inning reached base via a free pass before Cal Fisher tied the game at one with a sacrifice fly. MU’s arms continued to lack control as they walked the 8-9 hitters in the Seminole order, Will Bavaro and Chase Williams, allowing another run to score before John Stuetzer, batting lead off, ripped a two-run double into right to double the advantage and make it a 4-0 game.

The inning did not end there, however, as the Bears threw the ball around the yard. Noah Sheffield, Myles Bailey and Hunter Carns were hit by a pitch in back-to-back-to-back at-bats, which seems almost impossible, as FSU went up 6-1 with one hit and eight free passes. Link Jarrett’s team continued pouring it on in the frame as an error from Kamaka at short, which could have been an inning-ending double play, spilled into the outfield, scoring two more. In the ensuing at-bats, back-to-back RBI singles from Eli Putnam and Cal Fisher plated two more as the Noles scored 10 runs in the second inning.

Will Bavaro, a freshman in his first-career start, provided the exclamation mark for the mammoth frame as the third baseman roped a three-run home run just over the left-field wall, as the Noles exploded for 13 runs. By the time the inning mercifully ended for the Bears, the Noles recorded four hits, four walks, and four HBP, along with one man reaching base via an error to essentially end the game in the second by going up, 13-1.

For the second-straight inning, Whited worked around a runner on second with one out to keep the Bears off the board. The lefty went 3.0 innings, allowing one run on five hits with two strikeouts, but most importantly, gave the Noles length after playing the day before. Cole Stokes, who struggled with command to begin the year, entered in the fourth and marooned a two-out double with an inning-ending strikeout to retire the side and post the third-straight zero.

The Florida State offensive onslaught did not relent in the fourth inning. Fisher and Bavaro, who had an incredible Seminole debut, reached base to begin the inning. After a Stuetzer single brought in the 14th run of the game, Sheffield ambushed the first pitch of his at-bat and deposited a three-run homer into left, his first-career blast as a Nole, to tack on three more runs for good measure.

Now leading 17-1 and clearing out the bench, FSU plated five more runs in the fifth. The frame began with an error from Mercer, its second of the game, a walk, a Chase Williams single, and, for good measure, another MU error. Kelvyn Paulino Jr. capped off the inning with a two-RBI single, with both runs being unearned, to make it 22-1.

As head coach Link Jarrett emptied out his bench, he also pulled every lever in the bullpen. Manny Lantigua allowed one run in the sixth before giving way to Cam Odom in the seventh. After Odom walked the first three men he faced, team captain Ben Barrett entered the game, struck out the first two batters, gave up a walk, a single, and another base knock; however, Mercer made the final out of the game on the base paths, ending this one, 22-5 after seven innings.

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