The road to Omaha continues. The No. 9 Florida State Seminoles defeated the Bethune-Cookman Bobcats 6-2 Friday afternoon in the Tallahassee Regional.
The tone for this game was set early, as solo home runs runs by both Max and Chase Williams gave the Seminoles (39-14) an early 2-0 lead. The Bobcats (37-22) were able to respond quickly with a single from Jorge Rodriguez, scoring two runs for the team, tying the game at 2-2.
Right after the Bobcats were able to tie it, the game came to a screeching halt. Severe weather concerns forced a two-hour delay in the contest, causing some chaos and confusion for both teams. While this could have been an opportunity for the Seminoles to lose steam, they instead picked up right where they left off. Once the game resumed, Myles Bailey hit a two-run homer, giving the Noles back the lead.
After this point, FSU was in control for the rest of the game, as they worked to prevent Bethune-Cookman from attempting any kind of late game comeback.
The story of this game for Bethune-Cookman is missed opportunities. While the Bobcats were able to tally more hits than the Seminoles, they were very rarely able to capitalize.
The Seminole defense was relentless. Not only did they not have any errors, but they also were able to capitalize on several chance-plays. The Seminole defense managed to perform four different double-plays, getting themselves out of possibly dangerous situations with traffic on the basepaths.
For a team in pursuit of a championship, a win like this can give the team some serious momentum. FSU coach Link Jarrett spoke postgame about the expectations he has for his team going forward: “There is a lot innings remaining and we need to trend in that direction, and I think that there is a little more in the tank.”
Clearly, Coach Jarrett has high hopes for his team this year, and the Seminoles will aim to please on their road to Omaha.
The next step for the Noles is a game Saturday night against the winner of the game between the Northeastern Huskies and the Mississippi State Bulldogs. First pitch is set to take place at 6:00 p.m. from Dick Howser Stadium.