⚾️: Noles Open ACC Play with 12-Inning Walk-Off Win

TALLAHASSEE, Florida – No. 21 Florida State (10-3, 1-0 ACC) opened conference play Friday with a 3-2 win over Pitt (7-7, 0-1) on Jordan Carrion’s 12^th-inning walk-off single. The Seminoles did not record a hit from the 7^th to the 11^th innings, but ended the game with three singles and an intentional walk in the 12^th inning.

Carrion was 0-for-5 entering the 12^th inning, but made two spectacular double plays to end the 11^th and 12^th innings. Both balls were hit up the middle; Carrion fielded cleanly, stepped on second base and threw to Cade Bush at first base.

Cam Smith was also 0-for-5 before his leadoff single in the 12^th inning. James Tibbs III – who drew four walks, one shy of the school record – followed with a single that put runners on the corners, and Jaime Ferrer was intentionally walked. The Panthers brought in leftfielder AJ Nessler as a fifth infielder, but Carrion’s single split the shortstop and third baseman for the winning run.

The victory capped a strong pitching performance for the Seminoles – starting pitcher Jackson Baumeister set a career high with nine strikeouts in 5.0 innings, and Conner Whittaker set career highs with 5.1 innings pitched and nine strikeouts. Doug Kirkland forced the 11^th-inning double play to his first batter faced; Jamie Arnold (1-0) earned his first collegiate victory by forcing the 12^th-inning double play to the only batter he faced.

Both starting pitchers –Baumeister and Pitt’s Jack Sokol – held the other team off the board for the first three innings, and each had five strikeouts. The Noles stranded four baserunners in that span, while a pair of Panthers were left on base in the first third of the game.

Pitt took a 1-0 lead in the fourth. Noah Martinez led off the inning with a double and came around to score on Nessler’s two-out single.

Florida State had multiple chances to strike against Sokol, but the Noles stranded two runners each frame from the second through fifth innings and 11 for the game. FSU finally capitalized in the sixth inning, chasing Sokol after a Colton Vincent single, wild pitch and an RBI single from Bush. Former Seminole Dylan Simmons allowed an RBI double to Nander De Sedas that plated Bush and gave FSU its first lead.

The Panthers tied the game on a pair of singles and an RBI groundout in the eighth against Whittaker.

SCORING SUMMARY:

T4 | Pitt 1, FSU 0                    Nessler singled, Martinez scored
B6 | Pitt 1, FSU 1                   Bush singled, Vincent scored
B6 | Pitt 1, FSU 2                   De Sedas doubled, Bush scored
T8 | Pitt 2, FSU 2                    Hess grounded out, Funk scored
B12 | Pitt 2, FSU 3                 Carrion singled, Smith scored

UP NEXT:

Game two between the Panthers and Seminoles is Saturday at 3:00 p.m. Former FSU All-American and three-time World Series champion Buster Posey will have his Number 8 jersey retired in a pre-game ceremony that begins at 2:30. Posey will be the fourth Seminole legend to be honored – Dick Howser (34), J.D. Drew (39) and Mike Martin (11).

OF NOTE:

• Catcher Colton Vincent singled in the fourth inning, extending his hitting streak to 17 games, tied for the third-longest at FSU over the last 10 seasons:
• 19, DJ Stewart – March 5, 2014 to April 13, 2014
• 18, DJ Stewart – May 7, 2013 to February 14, 2014
• 17, Colton Vincent – May 25, 2022 to present
• 17, Cal Raleigh – March 5, 2018 to June 2, 2018*
• Over his 17-game hitting streak, Vincent is 26-for-61, 11 R, 10 RBI, 7 2B, 3B, HR, 4 BB and 2 HBP.
• Starting pitcher Jackson Baumeister set a career-high with nine strikeouts and reliever Conner Whittaker set a career-high with nine strikeouts. It was the first time this season that FSU had two pitchers with nine strikeouts in a game.
• Freshman Ben Barrett singled in his first at-bat. He has a hit in all five games this season.
• Cade Bush extended his hitting streak to four games and his on-base streak to seven games, both career-longs.
• James Tibbs III earned four walks Friday and has reached safely in 55 of his 58 career starts. He leads FSU with 15 walks drawn on the year; it was FSU’s first four-walk game since Cooper Swanson vs. UCF in 2019.

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