The regular season (and Florida State baseball’s season in general) is coming to an end and FSU (21-30, 7-20) will do it in Louisville, Kentucky.
Similar to the Seminoles, the Louisville Cardinals (30-22, 9-18) have had a rough season and are not likely to make the postseason as an at-large bid and are also on the outside looking in in regards to the ACC tournament. They can get in with some help around the league and wins this week but to give themselves the best shot, they’ll be looking for a sweep.
Louisville has been swept in two of their last three weekend series but did turn some heads by beating Boston College. Unfortunately, that’s one of the only two ACC series they’ve won this year — one more ACC series than FSU has won.
How to watch and starting pitchers
‘Noles fall late to Cards
Listen: Seminoles Radio Network
FSU: LHP Andrew Armstrong (2-3, 4.15 ERA)
Louisville: RHP Ryan Hawks (5-3, 4.33 ERA)
Florida State (21-31, 7-21) fell to Louisville (31-22, 10-18) 7-4 in a game the Cardinals had to have to stay alive for the ACC tournament. After a rough start Andrew Armstrong ended up going six innings giving up three runs. Hit batters were the undoing for the ‘Noles as Armstrong and Kirkland combined for six hit batters, four of which were involved in scoring Louisville runs. Offensively, FSU gathered a lot of base runners, often having two runners on in an inning but struggled to bring them home leaving 11 on base.
Florida State took a lead before most fans where able to sit down when James Tibbs to a 2-0 pitch over the right field fence. Louisville would get that run back and more in the bottom of the inning with a couple of singles and a couple of hit batters, the second of which scored a run. The Cardinals would take the lead a batter later on a fielder’s choice and the first inning ended in a 2-1 UL lead.
FSU got a couple of two out singles in the second but couldn’t push anything across. Louisville took a 3-1 lead on a single, double and wild pitch and it looked like Armstrong’s day might be coming to a close. Once more Tibbs started an inning with a home run, this time to dead center to draw the ‘Noles within one and Armstrong picked up the intensity. The man FSU has turned to time and time again allowed two base runners over the next three innings and kept a clean slate on the scoreboard.
FSU would continue to get base runners on and finally broke through in the fifth. Jamie Ferrer started the inning taking a pitch off the arm and Cam Smith laced a line drive single through the left side. Jordan Carrion loaded the bases with a four pitch walk and Ben Barrett gave FSU a 4-3 lead with a rainbow single to left.
Doug Kirkland came in to start the seventh and gave up an infield single and an error on Nander DeSedas on an attempted double play followed by a sac bunt put runners on second and third with no outs. Kirkland almost got out of the inning unscathed but Smith couldn’t make the bare handed grab and throw on what amounted to little more than a swinging bunt and the game was tied at four.
In the eighth Kirkland got two outs but hit a couple of batters and gave up a three run bomb to right field leaving FSU on the wrong side of a 7-4 score. FSU couldn’t get a base runner in the top of the ninth and began to look forward to Saturday’s game.
Friday 6:00
Listen: Seminoles Radio Network
FSU: RHP Jackson Baumeister (4-5, 5.16 ERA)
Louisville: LHP Tate Kuehner (2-3, 3.12 ERA)
Saturday 1:00
Listen: Seminoles Radio Network
FSU: RHP Conner Whittaker (4-6, 4.56 ERA)
Louisville: RHP Carson Liggett (7-1, 3.02 ERA)
Up Next: Fall ball and the 2024 season. It can’t come soon enough!
