The No. 10 Florida State Seminoles fell to the Duke Blue Devils 11-4 on Sunday at Dick Howser Stadium. The Seminoles never seemed to really have a chance in this one as the Blue Devils outperformed them in all phases of the game. FSU dropped just their second ACC game of the season.
Coming off of a game where they allowed 12 runs, the Blue Devils pitching was much stronger. Pitcher Andy Leon was a major part of this improvement as he only allowed three hits through the first six innings. The usually-strong Seminoles offense was held to just one run.
Duke’s offense was clearly humming as well. The Blue Devils started scoring early with freshman Brooks Perez bringing home two runners with a deep single in the second inning.
The moment the game broke open, however, was in the fourth. Duke senior Tyler Albright hit an RBI single to go up 3-0. Then, with the bases loaded, graduate student Matthew Strand launched a grand slam, giving the Blue Devils a commanding 7-0 lead.
Despite the game already being out of reach, Duke continued to pile on runs through the later innings. The Blue Devils took advantage of a bases-loaded walk, two sacrifice flies, and an RBI to maintain control of the game.
The Seminoles finally showed signs of life late as Hunter Carns and John Stuetzer each drove in a run in hopes of sparking some offense. Junior Cal Fisher brought home a run with a sacrifice fly, and freshman Kelvyn Paulino Jr. added a run by stealing home on a wild pitch. It was not enough, however, as the deficit remained too large to overcome.
In games like this, it can be difficult to pinpoint exactly what went wrong for the Seminoles. In this case, the Seminoles came into Sunday’s game facing serious adversity. This was the first game following the season-ending injury to star sophomore first baseman Myles Bailey, who was stretchered off the field after sliding into second base during Saturday’s game. Prior to his injury, Bailey was one of the top players in the entire nation, who managed to lead his entire team in hits, runs, and walks. In his absence, the Seminoles are going to need to find a new identity.
The loss of a star such as Bailey causes both literal and mental issues for a team. Sunday, the Seminoles were very clearly feeling these emotions. Before the injury, Florida State had consistently been one of the top teams in the nation. Now, the Seminoles are going to need to fill the void left by Bailey if they want to keep their eyes on Omaha.
The Seminoles will look to bounce back in their next game against the in-state Stetson Hatters on Tuesday, March 31st. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.