CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – The No. 5-seeded Florida State Seminoles totaled 12 runs on 13 hits, including four home runs, to defeat the No. 9-seeded Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 12-9 in game two of the 2024 Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Championship on Tuesday at Truist Field in Charlotte, N.C.
Florida State second baseman Drew Faurot drove in a team-high three RBI, going 3-for-4 with a home run and two doubles to lead the Seminoles’ offensive attack at the plate. Three other Seminoles in Marco Dinges, Jaime Ferrer and Daniel Cantu each finished with one home run and two RBI in the win.
ACC Freshman of the Year Drew Burress drove in a team-high three RBI for the Yellow Jackets, as he was 3-for-6 with a home run and two runs scored in the leadoff spot. Outfielder Cam Jones finished 2-for-4 with a home run, walk, two RBI and a run scored at the plate, while catcher Vahn Lackey also drove in two RBI in the loss.
Florida State’s John Abraham (4-1) picked up the win, as he gave up one run on one hit, two walks and three strikeouts over 2.0 innings of relief. Earning his first save of the season was left-handed pitcher Jamie Arnold, who got the final two outs in the win.
In the two teams’ fourth meeting in the last six days, the No. 10-nationally ranked Seminoles took advantage of a two-out walk to the 2024 ACC Player of the Year, James Tibbs III, to strike first with a 448-foot two-run blast by Dinges to take a 2-0 lead after one inning of play.
After stranding three runners combined over their first two at-bats, the Yellow Jackets jumped into the scoring column with a solo shot from Burress to lead off the top of the third inning and cut the Seminoles’ lead in half at 2-1.
After Florida State’s Ferrer was hit by a pitch to lead off the fourth inning, Cantu pushed the Seminoles’ lead to three when he launched a two-run home run to right field. After the Yellow Jackets turned to the bullpen, Faurot hit the second two-run home run of the inning for Florida State, his blast going over the wall in left field, to push the Seminoles’ advantage to five at 6-1.
One inning later it was Ferrer’s turn to join the home run party, as he followed a Dinges single with a two-run shot to center field to extend FSU’s lead out to 8-1 heading into the sixth inning.
Down but not out, the Yellow Jackets’ bats broke through in the seventh inning with five runs on seven hits, highlighted by an RBI base hit from five different Yellow Jackets in Lackey, Burress, Mathew Ellis, Jones and Mike Becchetti to get back into the game at 8-6.
Looking to continue to cut into the lead in the top of the eighth inning, Georgia Tech threatened with runners on first and second with one out, only to see a 4-3 double play end the inning and keep the Seminoles’ lead at two, 8-6.
Florida State looked to have put the game away in the bottom half of the eighth inning with four runs on four hits and one Georgia Tech error to pull out in front at 12-6.
However, the Yellow Jackets refused to go down without a fight, plating three runs in the top of the ninth started by a solo home run by Jones and capped with a two-out RBI single to right field from Burress that brought the tying run to the plate, before Arnold shut the door with a strikeout to give the Seminoles the 12-9 win.
Georgia Tech (31-22) returns to Pool D play tomorrow at 11 a.m. versus No. 4 seed Virginia. The Seminoles (40-14) will take on Virginia on Friday, May 24, at 11 a.m.
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