What a way to open the ACC slate. The No. 10 Florida State softball team (25-4, 3-0 ACC) did exactly what you’d expect a top-10 program to do against a struggling opponent, sweeping Syracuse in dominant fashion this weekend at JoAnne Graf Field. The Noles outscored the Orange 36-8 across the three-game set, with two of those games ending in run-rule fashion. Florida State has now won 14 consecutive games and is rolling into one of the biggest matchups of the season with serious momentum.
Let’s break down how the weekend went and what’s coming next.
Game One: Statement Made Early (FSU 12, Syracuse 1)
Friday’s opener set the tone immediately, as the Seminoles pounced on Syracuse starting pitcher Julianna Verni for seven runs, scoring three in the first inning and never looking back. A seven-spot in the fourth inning put the game out of reach, and the Noles sealed the deal with a scoreless fifth to invoke the mercy rule. The Orange walked six times but left seven runners on base and only collected one hit in the loss. The run-rule victory in five innings sent the message that this Florida State offense is clicking, and it has no mercy in it.
Game Two: More of the Same (FSU 13, Syracuse 1)
Saturday was a carbon copy. Shortstop Isa Torres led off with a solo home run, her fourth of the season, as FSU jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. It only got worse from there for the Orange. The Noles poured on eleven more runs over the next three innings.
Ashtyn Danley started in the circle, throwing four innings while allowing just one hit and striking out four. Makenna Reid gave up Syracuse’s only run in the fifth, but it was already too late for the Orange. Saturday’s victory tied for FSU’s largest win over Syracuse, matching a 13-1 result from 2021.
Torres continued her absolutely absurd stretch of softball. She went 2-for-2 with a home run and an RBI and is now 22-for-25 in her seven games since returning from injury. The woman simply cannot be stopped right now.
Game Three: A Fight, But Florida State Finishes (FSU 11, Syracuse 6)
Sunday’s finale was the most interesting of the three. After an Isa Torres infield single, Jaysoni Beachum blasted a home run to deep center field to give the Seminoles a 2-0 lead early, and then Ashtyn Danley broke it open with a grand slam to make it 6-0. Shelby McKenzie added a solo shot in the third to push the lead to 7-0, and it looked like another run-rule was on the way.
Syracuse had other ideas. A Jadyn Burney fourth-inning grand slam cut FSU’s lead to just 7-6, and for a moment, the Orange had life. But Jazzy Francik came on in relief and slammed the door. Francik pitched three scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and one walk to earn the save. A four-run fifth inning sealed it, highlighted by a Beachum double that cleared the bases and put the game away for good.
The final: 11-6 Florida State. Sweep complete.
The Isa Torres Show
It’s impossible to write about this team right now without leading with Isa Torres. Torres has reached safely in her last 18 plate appearances and went 11-for-11 in her last 11 at-bats heading into the series. Since returning from injury, she is hitting .889 with two home runs and 12 RBI and has reached base in 60 out of her 85 plate appearances this season for a .705 on-base percentage.
That’s not a hot streak. That’s something else entirely. Torres is hitting an NCAA-leading .648 right now. Unreal…
Torres missed time earlier this season with a concussion, and if anything, it seems like she came back angrier. When your leadoff hitter is basically a guaranteed base runner every time she steps in the box, it puts an enormous amount of pressure on opposing pitchers and defenses. The rest of the lineup, including Beachum, Danley, McKenzie and freshman Marin Heller, has taken full advantage.
The Series in Context
FSU scored 36 runs in three games against the Orange, the program’s highest run total in an ACC series since putting up 40 against Pitt in 2024. The Seminoles are now 32-4 all-time against Syracuse and 19-1 all-time against them in Tallahassee. Dominant doesn’t quite cover it.
To be fair, Syracuse is not a good team right now. The Orange came in at 11-9 and struggling, and their pitching staff was a mess before this series even started. FSU did what it was supposed to do. The more important question is what this team looks like when the competition stiffens, which brings us to Wednesday.
Next Up: Revenge Against No. 2 Texas Tech
Circle it. Wednesday, March 18th. 6 p.m. ACC Network. JoAnne Graf Field.
Back on February 12th at the Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational, the No. 6 Seminoles went toe-to-toe with then-No. 1 Texas Tech and fell just short in a 3-2 loss. It was a gut-punch of a game. In the seventh inning, with FSU trailing by one and Ashtyn Danley on base with one out, freshman Hayley Griggs launched what appeared to be a lead-changing home run, only for Texas Tech left fielder Logan Halleman to track it down at the fence and complete a stunning double play to end the game. A heartbreaker doesn’t even do it justice. FSU was a mere six inches of height on that ball from knocking off the top-ranked team in the country.
Texas Tech is now ranked No. 2. FSU is 10th. The Noles are riding 14 straight wins and are playing some of the best softball in the country. The rematch is coming to Tallahassee, and the crowd at JoAnne Graf Field is going to be electric. This is the kind of game that defines a season. Can the Noles make a statement against one of the premier programs in the country? Can they avenge the close call in Clearwater?
My head says this will be a tight, one-run game decided late like the last one. My heart says Isa Torres is going to lead the Noles to get their revenge in front of their home crowd. Stay tuned to your source for fan-focused FSU coverage here at Plant The Spear. Thanks for reading and Go Noles!