| Paul Thomas, The Osceola
Baseball Senior Day Photo Gallery
Video: Senior Day ceremonies
The Florida State Seminoles clinched a
series victory over North Carolina State in a high scoring affair on
Senior Day Sunday afternoon 12-9. The game ended with two outs in the
top of the seventh inning after a rain delay forced a stop in play.
There was 5:15 travel curfew and the ACC ruled that since it would be
too tough a task to get the field ready to play again that the game
would be called.
Once again the Seminoles had to dig themselves out of an early hole, but
it was much deeper on Sunday. FSU starter Scott Sitz lasted just a third
of an inning, giving up six earned runs, including a grand slam to third
baseman Andrew Ciencin. John Gast came in to replace Sitz and gave up
one more run before the inning ended. The Wolfpack added one more in the
top half of the second to take an 8-0 lead.
“When we came in the dugout down 8-0, I think we all we knew we had a
tall task ahead of us, but certainly capable with eight innings to
play,” FSU rightfielder James Ramsey said. “I think this team never says
die, and I think our coaching staff did a good job of letting us know
that nobody was saying it wasn’t going to be tough but it’s very do-able
for this team.”
FSU began their comeback in the bottom half of the inning as Devon
Travis came up with the bases loaded. Travis ripped a double off of the
fence in right center to score two runs. Tyler Holt followed Travis up
with sacrifice fly and then Mike McGee added a two-run double of his
own.
Then Ramsey cut the lead to one with his second homerun of the series,
as his two-run shot carried over the wall in left field. Sean Gilmartin
tied the game at eight with an RBI double that scored Stephen Cardullo
from first.
NC State took a one-run lead in the top half of the third, but FSU
answered back with three runs of their own to take a lead that would not
be relinquished the rest of the way. Travis scored on single from McGee,
and Ramsey drove in two more with a double.
“I’m so proud of the way our guys played after falling behind like we
did,” FSU head coach Mike Martin said. “If ever a team could have just
felt sorry for themselves and just thrown it in, but no. They fought
right back and got themselves in the ball game and then hung on.”
Johnson scored in the ninth inning off a sacrifice fly from Cardullo to
make it twelve runs on 14 hits for the Seminole offense.
Ramsey led the way offensively for Seminoles finishing the game 2-3 with
a double, homerun, and four RBIs. McGee drove in three runs, and Travis
drove in two, while Cardullo, Gilmartin, and Holt all chipped in one RBI
each as well.
Perhaps overlooked in the offensive explosion was what John Gas and
Geoff Parker were able to do for FSU out of the bullpen. Gast came in to
relieve Sitz after his horrid start, and threw 83 pitches in 3.2
innings, giving up three earned runs on six hits, walking none and
striking out a career-high seven.
Parker came in and pitched the final 2.2 innings, giving up no runs on
two hits, walking two, and striking out three. Gast earned the win to
improve to 6-2 on the year, and Parker picked up his third save of the
season.
“Johnny and Geoff certainly did pitch well. Very, very pleased for both
of them. We needed good outings from those two, they’re the guys we
looked to. Certainly they answered the bell today.
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