The No. 21 Florida State Seminoles beat The Citadel Bulldogs 2-0 Sunday at Dick Howser Stadium. With the win, the Seminoles have completed a three-game sweep of the Bulldogs.
It is extremely hard to keep FSU off the bases, and the Bulldogs fought hard to keep things from getting out of hand. Despite some costly fielding errors by the Bulldogs, they were able to make up for their mistakes through double plays. However, the Seminoles were unrelenting and it was impossible to keep them from getting home.
It is a testament to the strength of The Citadel’s defense that this game was in reach all the way to the end, as they managed to force the Seminoles to leave 10 runners on base over the course of the game. It is hard to expect a different result when being out-hit 10-2, but the Bulldogs still battled all the way through the final inning.
The Seminoles struck first in the second inning when a fly ball to shallow left was dropped by the Bulldogs. Freshman John Stuetzer followed with a double that brought home redshirt senior Eli Putnam.. The second score did not take place until the fifth inning when junior Chase Williams reached home with the bases loaded following a fly out.
There are definitely some moments that Florida State is going to see as areas for improvement. For example, the fifth inning was a chance for the Seminoles to blow this game wide open. With three men on base and zero outs, the Seminoles only scored a single run. Looking forward, this is certainly a situation that Florida State will need to capitalize on in the future.
“I know the quality at-bat, and I’m not going to fool anyone in here, has not been good enough,” FSU coach Link Jarrett said. “We had chances to really bust that game open and we just did not do it.”
FSU junior right-handed pitcher Bryson Moore managed to give the Bulldogs some serious trouble during his time on the mound. Through the six innings that he pitched, he only allowed one hit with zero runs. Noles sophomore catcher Hunter Carns made his impact on the other side of the ball, as he was certainly the Seminoles’ most efficient hitter on the day. Carns managed to go 2-for-3 with a triple and RBI.
Postgame, Moore declined to credit himself for the success Sunday. In response to every question about how he felt he performed individually, he maintained the stance that “the defense played really well behind me, so it’s easy for me to go out and pitch when they’re playing like that.”
The Seminoles, who are now 8-2, will play the in-state Jacksonville Dolphins on Tuesday, March 3. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.