On Wednesday night, the No. 7 Florida State baseball team continued their perfect start, securing a hard-fought 9-6 road win over the Jacksonville University Dolphins at John Sessions Stadium. The victory extended FSU’s season-opening winning streak to eight games, marking their second consecutive year with at least eight straight wins to start the season—a feat not accomplished since the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
The game, originally scheduled for Tuesday but postponed due to “inclement weather” (which was nowhere to be found, according to Seminole fans in the Jacksonville area), showcased a back-and-forth battle between the two teams. Florida State (8-0) relied on timely hitting and clutch pitching to overcome a resilient Jacksonville squad (3-5), which put pressure on the Seminoles throughout the contest. The win improved FSU’s record against JU to 136-42 and winners of five straight in the series.
The Seminoles struck first in the opening inning as lead-off man Gage Harrelson scored on a bases-loaded double play. The Dolphins fired back, taking a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the first on a two-run home run by Jacksonville native Blake DeLamielleure.
It was the first time the Seminoles trailed this season, but the deficit didn’t last long. FSU responded as Brody DeLamielleure doubled and scored on a single by Gage Harrelson. A bases-loaded walk brought in Harrelson to give FSU a 3-2 lead, but JU stayed in the fight, tying it in the bottom of the second on an RBI groundout.
FSU reclaimed the lead after Alex Lodise crossed home plate on a Jaxson West RBI single to put the Noles up 4-3. Not to be outdone by his cousin, who homered in the first, Brody DeLamielleure broke the game open with a three-run blast, the first home run of his career, giving FSU a 7-3 lead in the fifth.
Florida State added another run in the sixth, but JU would not go away by adding two runs in the sixth and another in the seventh on a solo home run to cut the Seminoles lead to just two (8-6). An error and two walks loaded the bases in the bottom of the eighth, putting JU within striking distance, but Chris Knier came in as relief for Ben Barrett and put on a clutch performance. Knier got the first strikeout facing a full count and went on to end the inning without a run scoring. FSU added an insurance run in the ninth and kept the Dolphins at bay to get the win.
Former JU transfer Evan Chrest got the win after settling in from a shaky start. Chrest’s final line was 5 innings pitched, allowing 3 earned runs on 6 hits with 2 walks and 3 strikeouts. Knier secured the save with two strikeouts in the ninth, going 1.2 innings, allowing 0 hits, 1 walk, and punching out 4 batters on the night.
Florida State benefitted from JU’s six errors despite committing three of their own. However, FSU racked up an impressive sixteen hits, dwarfing JU’s nine. Both teams had a pair of stolen bases, while FSU had the advantage in RBI with eight to JU’s five.
Five Seminoles recorded a multi-hit game, with freshman outfielder BJ Gibson also shining off the bench, collecting his first two collegiate hits. Alex Lodise continues to be a force at the plate, going 3-6 and scoring 2 runs. Jaxson West had a big night from the DH spot, going 3-4 with 2 RBI and scoring a run. Max Williams left the game early after taking a pitch off the hand/wrist area, so hopefully, he is ok to return for this weekend. It’s once again with mentioning the clutch performance that Chris Knier put on as it appears FSU may have found it’s closer.
The hard-fought win was a good test for the Seminoles against a scrappy JU squad. They responded when the pressure mounted and came away with the win. Throughout the first few weeks of the young season, we have seen multiple top-ranked teams fall, so it’s good to see them fight to hold on to the undefeated record.
Florida State will now return to Tallahassee, where they’ll host Georgetown (3-5) for a weekend series at Howser. The Seminoles will put their unbeaten streak on the line against a Hoyas team that has gotten off to a rough start losing both of their first weekend series and coming to Tallahassee on a three-game losing streak.
However, as we saw on Wednesday night, you must bring your A-game every time you take the field in college baseball. With a top 10 ranking beside your name, you’ll get everyone’s best shot. Stay tuned for our series preview of the weekend matchup. Thanks for reading and Go Noles!
Share this Article with other Nole fans!
