3 up, 3 down: FSU baseball’s offense dominates early in midweek win over Jacksonville

In another impressive night on the mound for Andrew Karp and with Cal Raleigh leading the Florida State offense, the Seminoles powered over Jacksonville in a 6-2 midweek victory. With tonight’s win over the Dolphins, FSU Head Coach Mike Martin is now 9 wins away from becoming the all-time winningest coach in collegiate baseball history.

Three Up

• FSU’s offense had itself a home run derby early in tonight’s game, accounting for five of the six runs scored in the first two innings. Raleigh and Reese Albert each had two-run blasts, while Cooper Swanson hit his first home run of the year, a solo shot to deep left field. The ’Noles now have twenty-six homers on the year.
• Karp (5-2) continues to shine on the mound. Despite two blooper solo shots, Karp struck out five while only allowing two walks in seven innings of work. Along with his ERA dropping to a 3.07, the Tallahassee, Fla. native showed some clutch defensive skills. Karp now has a team high 51 strikeouts, with Drew Parrish following closely behind.
• Mike Martin Field seems to agree with FSU, as the Seminoles have only had two losses at Dick Howser Stadium on the season. If the home field advantage continues, the ’Noles should have a better chance at capitalizing on upcoming No. 1 UF, and ACC play against Duke, Miami, and NC State.

Three Down

• Although the Seminoles’ offense got off to an early hot start, it was not able to stay consistent throughout the game, as JU limited any more runs after the second inning. The Seminoles stranded six runners, which could have resulted in a larger lead. Especially with its ace Tyler Holton out for the season, the FSU offense needs to step it up and take advantage of lead-off hits and walks.
• Strikeouts were also an issue, with the Florida State offense combining for a total of nine strikeouts throughout the game. Four of the nine strikeouts came with Seminoles in scoring position, which eliminated any more threats on the Dolphins’ pitchers. If the ’Noles are able to put the ball in play it would put a lot more pressure on opposing teams’ defenses.
• Drew Mendoza continues a frustrating slump, as he is only 3-for-26 since the series against North Carolina in March. The Minneola, Fla. native started the season leading the team with a .450 batting average over the first two weeks but has not been able to get into a groove since. If Mendoza can work on fixing his swing mechanics, he should have a huge impact on this Seminoles’ offense again going forward.

Up next, Florida State will take on Georgia Tech this Friday at 6. Cole Sands (5-1, 5.22 ERA) will take the mound for the Seminoles.