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As RaysnNoles mentioned in the preseason breakdown, the midweek games against teams like Jacksonville are mostly used to try new things and see different possibilities for the upcoming series. If this game was used to measure the ability of sophomore Luke Weaver as a starter, he passed the test with flying colors, leading the Seminoles to the 9-7 win.
Weaver baffled JU (1-3), striking out the side to open the game. The Dolphins only managed two base runners against Weaver, with the only hit being a single in the second inning. When all was said and done, Weaver tossed 83 pitches, going 6 IP and striking out 9 in his season debut as a starter.
It is still too early to tell exactly what Mike Martin is thinking, but if the performance of Weaver continues and the one Peter Miler had on Sunday occurs on a regular basis, don’t be surprised if Weaver starts to get the nod over Miller in the Sunday spot.
Also going off what RaysnNoles said last week in the series previews, it wouldn’t be shocking if FSU (4-0) drops a couple of the midweek games. Although Weaver had a great outing, the bullpen almost cost the team a W.
With a 9-0 lead going into the 8th, the Seminoles started to bring in some newcomers to pitch. JUCO transfer Hayden Jordan, from Tallahassee Community College, pitched the 8th giving up two runs on four hits and one K. Jordan got off to a rough start allowing two singles to his first two batters. Even though he didn’t look overly sharp, Jordan got out of the inning without giving up too much.
Fans began sweating the next inning when freshman Dylan Silva entered to replace Jordan. Now leading 9-2, Silva’s start couldn’t have gotten off to a tougher start. A fielding error from leftfielder Ryan Valdez allowed the leadoff man get to third, who was quickly brought home from the next batter. A walk and another error, this time from Giovanny Alfonzo, left men at first and second. Silva then proceeded to walk the next two batters. 22 pitches, one out, two unearned runs come in, and Silva left with the bases loaded.
In comes JUCO transfer Robby Coles. Once again, not the best start from a relief man as Coles walked the first batter allowing the third run of the inning, bringing it to 9-5. Coles would eventually get out of the 9th, but allowed three inherited runs to come in, all unearned and charged to Silva. Florida State escapes 9-7 and avoids their first loss of the season.
MVP of the Game: Luke Weaver – It couldn’t have gone much better for Weaver’s first start. One hit through six innings, striking out nine, only two base runners. Many words can describe the performance, but I’ll go with impressive.
Things to Work On:
The late inning relief, after Kyle Bird, did not fare so well in this one. The three newcomers who came in for the 8th and 9th were able to get out of the game, but not before giving up a handful of runs. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and say that the defense did not help them much with the two errors, but there was no solid stopper late in the game.
Notables:
- Senior captain Justin Gonzalez hit his second home run of the year, his 21st career four-bagger.
- Newcomer Marcus Davis hit his second homer of the year, this time a two run blast in the 4th.
- Seth Miller got his first hit of the season, a single in the 6th, and threw out a runner at the plate from center field for the assist.
Looking Forward:
Florida State is back in action again Friday evening at 4 p.m. with another matchup against an instate program, South Florida. The Bulls (1-2) come to Tallahassee, Fla., for a three game set. USF’s only win came against Purdue 20-2 this past Saturday, but the Bulls also got blown out against Louisville (1-10) and Indiana (2-12) in the Big Ten – Big East Challenge.
The Friday matchup is also the Seminole’s ALS Awareness Game.