Noles Sweep Doubleheader on Walk-Off

Game 1 Box

Game 2 Box

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – In a rare early season doubleheader at Dick Howser Stadium, Florida State (3-0) used a walk, RBI double and sacrifice fly to beat Maine (0-3) 6-5 in walk-off fashion in game two Saturday evening. The Seminoles beat the Black Bears 16-3 in the first contest earlier in the day.

Elijah Cabell led the inning off with a five-pitch walk and scored on a towering double off the right field fence by fellow freshman Robby Martin to tie the score. J.C. Flowers pinch ran for Martin, moved to third on a balk by Maine pitcher Matt Geoffrion (0-1) and scored on Mat Nelson’s sacrifice fly.

Tyler Ahearn (1-0) earned the win after a perfect top of the seventh in which he hit 96 on the radar gun.

After Austin Pollock allowed a grand slam to Maine’s Jake Roper in the fourth inning that gave the Black Bears a 5-2 lead, Clayton Kwiatkowski entered and retired the seven batters he faced before Ahearn took over in the seventh. The seven-inning game was agreed to prior to the season.

FSU took a 2-0 lead on a Nander De Sedas single and a Mike Salvatore double in the second inning. Salvatore added an RBI single in the fourth and Reese Albert had a sacrifice fly in the sixth that provided the theatrics for the final inning.

In Saturday’s opener, FSU drew 14 walks, had 10 hits and was hit by six pitches in a 16-3 victory. CJ Van Eyk (1-0) remained perfect in his FSU career after finishing his freshman campaign 7-0. The sophomore from Lutz, Fla., allowed two runs on six hits in 5.0 innings before Jonah Scolaro, Gage Hutchinson and freshman Cade Hungate held the Black Bears to one run over the final four innings.

De Sedas, Salvatore and Albert each had four RBI in the first game, including Salvatore’s second career home run. Cabell hit a towering 443-foot home run to center field, while Jonathan Foster (3) and Flowers (4) set career highs for runs scored. Flowers was 1-for-1 with a two-run double, three walks and two hit by pitches.

Of Note – Game 1

• Maine earned its first hit of the weekend in the first inning of game one, a single off the bat of Hernen Sardinas in the first inning. The Black Bears were no-hit in Friday’s season opener.
• First baseman Nico Baldor singled in the second inning of game one, his first hit as a Seminole. Carter Smith entered in the 8^th inning and singled in his first at-bat.
• Tim Becker, Cade Hungate, Alec Sanchez and McGuire Weaver also made their first appearances as Seminoles. Becker walked in his lone plate appearance and Hungate threw the final two innings without allowing a run.
• Three players had four RBI each in the game – Mike Salvatore, who hit his second home run of his career in the seventh inning; Reese Albert, who had a two-run double in the second inning and two sacrifice flies; and Nander De Sedas, who had a two-run single, a sacrifice fly and a bases loaded walk.
• Left fielder Elijah Cabell mashed a 443-foot home run for his first hit as a Seminole.
• C. Flowers finished 1-for-1 with a double, walked three times and was twice hit by a pitch. Flowers’ four runs scored was a career high.
• Jonathan Foster also scored three runs for the first time in his career. Salvatore’s four RBI tied a career high against Louisville last year on a grand slam.
• As a team, Florida State drew 14 walks, its most since also drawing 14 against Villanova in March 2016. The Noles were also hit by six pitches, its most since drawing seven HBPs against Sam Houston State in the 2017 Super Regionals.
• Both teams left 14 runners on base.

Of Note – Game 2

• Drew Mendoza started as the designated hitter for the first time in his career. He had started the previous 64 games at third base. He leads the team with 108 consecutive starts.
• Freshman Robby Martin started in right field for the first time this season. Cooper Swanson started at first for the first time in his career and Carter Smith made his first career start at third base.
• Mike Salvatore (2-for-3) and Martin (2-for-4) combined for four of FSU’s six hits. The two lead the team in batting through three games (Martin .500, Salvatore .462).
• The bullpen combination of Kwiatkowski and Ahearn did not allow a baserunner in 10 plate appearances to secure the win.

Up Next
Florida State and Maine wrap up the four-game series Sunday at 1:00 p.m. at Dick Howser Stadium. Left-handed sophomore Shane Drohan will make his first career start for the Seminoles.

The game will stream live on ACC Network Extra.

For more information on Florida State baseball, check Seminoles.com for the latest news and scheduling information, or keep up with the team on social media through Twitter (@FSUBaseball), Facebook (/FSUBaseball), and Instagram (@NoleBaseball).