The fast start wasn’t enough. Florida State came out swinging Saturday afternoon at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, jumping on ninth-ranked Auburn for four runs in the first inning. For a moment, it looked like the Noles were ready to make a statement. Instead, the bats went quiet and the bullpen unraveled, and FSU walked away on the wrong end of an 8-5 final, dropping to 4-1 on the young season.
The first inning was everything you want to see. Brayden Dowd doubled to left-center to lead things off, and Noah Sheffield followed with an RBI infield single to get the party started. Gabe Fraser and Brody DeLamielleure each added run-scoring singles, and a wild pitch brought home a fourth run before the inning was done. Five hits, four runs — FSU looked locked in and ready to go toe-to-toe with one of the better teams in the country. Then the bats disappeared.
After that first inning, the Noles managed just two hits over the next six frames. Sanders struck out nine over five innings, and FSU hitters struggled to do much of anything with runners on base, finishing 3-for-10 with runners in scoring position on the day. That number tells the story. They had their chances (eight left on base) and just couldn’t push runs across when it mattered.
On the mound, Bryson Moore gave FSU a solid four-plus innings, allowing three runs (two earned) while keeping Auburn from blowing the game open early. The trouble started in the fifth. With Moore out of the game, Auburn sent Farber to first on four straight balls, and Cade O’Leary inherited a mess he couldn’t clean up. Eric Guevara singled in a run, and Chase Fralick roped a two-run triple to make it a 4-3 game. Just like that, the lead was gone, and Auburn kept chipping away from there — adding single runs in the sixth, seventh, and eighth to put it away.
Wild pitches were a problem all afternoon. FSU pitchers combined for four on the day, and two of Auburn’s later runs crossed the plate because of them. That’s the kind of thing that’ll get you beat against a quality opponent, and Auburn (now 5-1) is absolutely a quality opponent.
To give credit where it’s due, the FSU defense flashed some leather when it had to. The Noles turned three double plays on the afternoon, including a nice one in the first that got Moore out of an early jam. That’s the kind of gritty defensive play that wins games in March and April. It just wasn’t enough today.
A late run in the eighth — Fraser scoring on a wild pitch after Carter McCulley reached and the battery completely lost the handle — made the final 8-5, but it was too little, too late.
Look, this is February baseball against a ranked Power 4 program, and FSU showed they can compete at this level. You had a freak collision that caused you to allow some extra runs and shook up your lineup. You have plenty of opportunities to take the lead and potentially close out the game and didn’t capitalize.
Losing is never fun, but FSU played poorly and stayed within striking distance the entire game. There are a lot of new pieces on this roster, and FSU was once again without Saturday starter Trey Beard. It was an early-season test in a long baseball season. They just need to bounce back tomorrow. Nebraska is on deck, and FSU needs to take care of business against them to finish this tournament on a winning note. Thanks for reading, and Go Noles!
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