FSU Baseball tops UNC in ACC Tourney: 3 Up, 3 Down – Tomahawk Nation

The Florida State baseball team is one game away from playing for the ACC title, following an 8-4 win over the North Carolina Tar Heels on Thursday night in Durham, North Carolina. This is what went right — and wrong — for the ‘Noles:

3 Up:

1. Leading off the FSU positives is, well, leading off. The Seminoles got their first batter aboard on six of nine occasions Thursday night, including Josh Delph’s double in the top of the first inning that resulted in the game’s first run. This one was all about starting early for the ‘Noles, who put up one in the first, two in the second, and another in the third. Delph was invaluable atop the FSU lineup, going 3-4 with a pair of doubles, a walk, and an RBI.
2. Starting pitcher Mike Compton dominated the Tar Heels for much of the night, not allowing a hit until the fourth inning and finishing with a final line of 5.2 innings pitched, five hits, two earned runs, no walks, and six strike outs– although Compton was more dominant than those numbers indicate, as his fastball had great movement, a nice sign for FSU moving forward.
3. Overall, this Florida State squad just seems really loose when it needs to be most. Players are taking uninhibited swings, the pitching staff seems relaxed, and the dugout seems, once again, to be having a good time.

3 Down:

1. About those uninhibited swings: every team that plays a full nine-inning game accounts for 27 outs. The problem for Florida State on Thursday was that 17 of the outs it made came via the strike out. The Seminoles simply must improve on putting the ball in play, especially with runners on base.
2. And that leads to the next negative about FSU’s Thursday-night performance: ‘Noles left on base. Florida State batted just 4-16 with runners in scoring position, compared to 3-5 for UNC. This time of year is all about clutch performances, and FSU has to step up with ducks on the pond.
3. Defensive miscues continue to haunt the Seminoles. Although this game saw just one ‘Nole error, Dylan Busby had a rocky sixth, when the Heels scored their first pair of runs. He cut off a throw home from DJ Stewart on a sac fly, and, although the runner would have probably scored anyway, no one else was aboard, so there was absolutely no risk in letting the ball get all the way to the plate. A play later, he booted a grounder that, while ruled a hit, wound up resulting in a second run, and, more importantly, momentum for North Carolina.

But, overall, it was a very good night for FSU, which looks to have some swagger back after closing the regular season on a five-game losing streak. The ‘Noles return to the diamond on Saturday at 11 am against Louisville: the winner will play for the ACC crown.