What a weekend. Florida State came to Winston-Salem needing a statement. Three games later, the Noles are heading home with a sweep of No. 12 Wake Forest, an 8-run Sunday performance capped by a John Stuetzer grand slam, and a legitimate claim as one of the better teams in the ACC. Final score: 12-6, and it wasn’t really that close for most of the afternoon.
FSU moves to 16-3 on the season and a perfect 3-0 in conference play. That’s the kind of weekend that earns respect in the ACC standings. According to Eric Luallen, this was the first time FSU has swept the Demon Deacons since 2013 and the first road sweep since 2010. This speaks to the quality of Wake Forest’s club and reinforces the massive statement FSU just made.
Early and Often for FSU’s Offense
The Noles wasted zero time getting to Wake Forest starter Duncan Marsten. Eli Putnam led things off with a solo shot to left field in the first, his fourth of the season. A Kelvyn Paulino Jr. RBI single brought home another, and just like that FSU was up 2-1 after one. Brayden Dowd answered a Wake leadoff home run from Javar Williams with a two-run blast in the second, Stuetzer having already worked a walk and swiped second to set the table. Myles Bailey added a solo shot in the third, his eighth of the season, and by the time the fourth inning arrived, the Noles had piled up 8 runs on 6 hits.
FSU loaded the bases in the fourth inning on a Cal Fisher single, a Stuetzer walk, and a Putnam walk, and while a Bailey grounder brought home one run, it was a wild pitch from reliever Troy Dressler that Wake’s catcher couldn’t locate that pushed two more across. Three runs in the inning without an extra-base hit. That’s veteran baseball — taking what’s given, putting the ball in play, and cashing in when the other team makes mistakes.
Bryson Moore Finishes The Weekend Strong
Bryson Moore got the ball Sunday, and while he may not have been dominant like Wes Mendes and Trey Beard, he’s starting to stack solid outings and becoming the kind of reliable weekend starter this staff needs at the back end of the rotation. He went 5.2 innings, allowing just one earned run while striking out seven, and now sits at 3-0 on the season.
Moore gave up a home run to start the game but quickly rebounded to retire the next seven batters in order. Things started to come apart late with a couple of hits, a walk and a wild pitch in the sixth, but overall Moore is showing improvement and looked good against good competition, holding Wake to just one run.
And about that late-game noise. The FSU bullpen had a bumpy couple of innings, giving back some runs in the seventh and eighth. It’s been a consistent theme with the bullpen for years now. Nole fans have learned to collectively hold their breath when it is time for the bullpen to take over. FSU will need them to step up as the schedule gets tougher, because Cade O’Leary, Kevin Mebil, and Chris Knier all had their moments of struggle.
Outside of John Abraham, who has been the most consistent in relief, these are the arms FSU is counting on. That said, Knier struck out three of the final four Wake batters to close things out after a Matt Conte home run in the ninth made the final score look a bit closer than the game actually felt.
The Play of the Day: Stuetzer’s Grand Slam
After a scoreless stretch through innings five, six, and seven, FSU needed a jolt. Paulino Jr. singled to open the eighth, Nathan Cmeyla singled, Will Bavaro was hit by pitch setting the stage for John Stuetzer to empty the bases with a grand slam, effectively shutting the door on the Deacs.
Stuetzer finished with four RBI, three runs scored, and two walks on the afternoon. That’s the kind of performance from the bottom of the order that separates good offenses from great ones. On a day when Putnam and Bailey each went deep and Paulino Jr. went 3-for-4 with an RBI, the entire lineup contributed. FSU left just three runners on base in the game, and when you look at how this series started, you can see the lineup hitting its stride.
The Bigger Picture: This Was a Complete Series
Let’s be honest about what happened this weekend in Winston-Salem. FSU came off a tough midweek loss to Florida with something to prove. Wake Forest was ranked and playing at home where they were a perfect 11-0. What followed was one of the more complete series performances I’ve seen from this program in a while.
Game one: Mendes throws a 7-inning shutout with 11 strikeouts. Game two: Beard sets a career high with 14 strikeouts across 6.2 dominant innings. Game three: the offense jumps out early, the rotation delivers again, and a grand slam slams the door in the eighth. Three different ways to win a baseball game. That’s what a deep, talented team looks like.
Sixteen strikeouts on Saturday and the pitching getting a little sideways late on Sunday, are the only honest concerns to carry into next week. But this FSU squad looked like a legitimate ACC and national contender this weekend and they will have to back that up sooner than later.
The Noles return home for a midweek against Bethune-Cookman before turning their attention to another ranked ACC series, this time against currently tenth-ranked NC State at Dick Howser Stadium. The Noles just played their best baseball of the season so far. Let’s see them keep it going at home. Thanks for reading and Go Noles!