Finally, it happened. The offense showed up, and when it did, it showed up in historic fashion.
Florida State erupted for 22 runs on 13 hits Wednesday afternoon at Dick Howser Stadium, routing Mercer 22-5 in a seven-inning run-rule victory to move to 10-2 on the season. The centerpiece of it all was a 13-run second inning, the most runs FSU has scored in a single inning since this exact date back in 2007. For a lineup that had been grinding through scoring droughts and leaving runners stranded all week, this one felt like a release valve going off.
The Second Inning That Changed Everything
Mercer actually drew first blood in the top of the first when former Seminole Titan Kamaka hit an RBI double, and FSU went down 1-2-3 in the bottom half. Nothing about the opener suggested what was coming next. Then the second inning happened.
It started with three straight walks and a hit batter to load the bases. Cal Fisher plated the first run with a sacrifice fly. Will Bavaro walked to re-load the bases, Chase Williams walked to score another, and then John Stuetzer doubled to right field to clear two more. By the time Mercer got the second out of the inning, FSU had already sent eight men to the plate. The Mercer coaching staff went to the bullpen, then went again, cycling through four pitchers as the Noles just kept coming.
Sheffield was hit by a pitch, Bailey was hit by a pitch (scoring another run), Carns was hit by a pitch (scoring another run), a fielding error by the Mercer shortstop scored two more, Putnam singled to score one, Fisher singled to score another, and then Will Bavaro stepped in and crushed a three-run home run to left field. His first hit as a Florida State Seminole. The inning finally ended at 13 runs scored, four hits, one error, and four Mercer pitchers used. It was pure, unrelenting offensive chaos, and it was beautiful.
The Rest of the Damage
FSU wasn’t done. Noah Sheffield led off the fourth with a three-run bomb to deep left, his first career home run as a Nole, after Stuetzer had knocked in a run with a single to set the table. That made it 17-1 and put the run-rule clock well in motion. The Noles added five more in the fifth on a combination of Mercer errors (two more from the same third baseman) and timely hitting from Carter McCulley and Kelvyn Paulino Jr., who singled up the middle for 2 RBIs.
On the day, Stuetzer led the way, going 2-for-5 with 3 RBIs and three runs scored. Bavaro went 2-for-3 with 3 RBIs and three runs in just three plate appearances. Sheffield’s 1-for-3 line doesn’t capture the impact of that fourth-inning shot. Fisher scored three times. Williams scored three times. The entire lineup contributed, and FSU finished 10-for-17 with runners in scoring position. After going 5-for-31 in that category against The Citadel last weekend, that number looks very, very good.
Depth Gets a Look
With a 17-run lead through four innings, Link Jarrett used this game the right way. Cooper Whited got the start and went three innings, allowing just one run on five hits to earn his first win of the season (1-0). Cole Stokes followed with two scoreless frames.
The back end of the bullpen got work, including Manny Lantigua, Cam Odom and Ben Barrett, who stepped in after Odom walked the bases loaded in the seventh and held Mercer to three runs on two hits to preserve the mercy rule finish. It wasn’t clean late, but with a 22-run cushion, clean was optional. It was good to see FSU dig into its depth chart and give some guys a look that may not have gotten it otherwise. FSU used a total of 13 batters and 5 pitchers on the night.
Interestingly enough, Mercer came in at 11-1 on the season and is a legitimate mid-major program. Keep in mind, this is a program that has knocked the Noles off their last two trips to Tallahassee. This wasn’t a pushover, and the Noles made them look overmatched for most of the afternoon.
Final Thoughts
The offensive questions that have followed this team since Arlington got answered loudly on Wednesday. Now, one caveat worth noting is that Mercer’s pitching clearly had a rough day, and the opposition will get considerably better as ACC play approaches. But this lineup needed a game like this. Bavaro looks like a real piece of this offense going forward. Sheffield has his first home run. Stuetzer has quietly become one of the most consistent bats in the lineup through the first dozen games.
The Noles are 10-2, have won six straight, and look like a team that is starting to find its identity on both sides of the ball. Now let’s see if they can carry this into the weekend against a Northern Kentucky team that they should sweep, but stole a game in their series against South Carolina.
Tonight was good. Tonight was needed. Now, let’s back it up and continue to clean things up before ACC play arrives. Stay tuned to your source for fan-focused FSU coverage here at Plant The Spear. Thanks for reading and Go Noles!