FSU wins the Tallahassee regional. Advances to Supers.

Postseason baseball made its return to Dick Howser Stadium and the home team did not disappoint. The Seminoles swept the competition with a 3-0 record to win the Tallahassee regional in front of a rowdy crowd of FSU faithful.

It started with a downright heroic performance from Carson Dorsey on Friday. There was a bit of nervousness when head coach Link Jarrett did not give Florida State’s Ace Jamie Arnold the start against Stetson. Cam Leiter had been ruled out for the weekend and the Noles pitching depth would have been a concern had they needed to navigate their way out of the loser’s bracket.

However, Jarrett rolled the dice to save his hottest arm and it paid off in a big way. Dorsey threw 121 pitches over 8.2 innings, only allowing 2 runs. This was massive for the Seminoles who have had issues with consistency from the bullpen throughout the season. Not only did Dorsey limit Stetson to just two runs giving FSU a great chance to win. He also saved the arms in the bullpen for later in the regional. Max Williams set the tone on offense by sending one out of the park in the game’s first at-bat. Daniel Cantu hit another solo shot in the second inning and the Noles continued to pour it on scoring 7 runs on 7 hits to put the Hatters away. (Game 1 final: FSU 7 – Stetson 2)

Game two got a late start after a weather delay, but that only set things up for a wild night in Howser. The crowd was alive, the players were feeling it, and Jamie Arnold put on a show. The left-handed ace dominated the game with 12 strikeouts in 7 innings, including an immaculate inning. Arnold was jacked up and feeling it. It was reminiscent of a Parker Messick night game in Howser. He only allowed 2 runs on 3 hits, which was fortunate because UCF held the Seminoles offense in check allowing just 5 runs on 13 hits and 7 scoreless innings. However, the Noles outlasted the Knights to stay in the winner’s bracket. (Game 2 final: FSU 5 – UCF 2)

Stetson would go on to eliminate Alabama, who went 0-2 and never faced FSU. Then, UCF sent the Hatters home in their first game on Sunday before lining it up against FSU with elimination on the line. Things started off a little dicey for the Seminoles after UCF jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. They carried that lead into the fifth inning as the FSU bats were silent. Then, an offensive explosion led the Noles to a 9-run fifth inning and they never looked back. Florida State would win the game 12-4 and claim the Tallahassee regional championship. (Game 3 final: FSU 12 – UCF 4)