On the evening of May 14, the Florida State Seminoles faced a five-run deficit before orchestrating a 7-6 extra-inning victory over the Miami Hurricanes.
Miami’s early lead was built on a solo home run from Hunter Carns in the second inning, while Rob Evans, who had delivered seven innings with seven strikeouts and just two walks, kept the pressure on the Seminoles.
Starter Wes Mendes endured a four-run fourth that saw the Hurricanes surge, yet he responded with six strikeouts and a 96-pitch outing that never yielded a walk.
The Hurricanes extended their advantage in the fourth when back-to-back singles set up Alonzo Alvarez’s three-run blast, pushing the lead to three.
The Seminoles remained silent until the seventh, when a pair of runs trimmed the margin.
The eighth-inning explosion
An eighth-inning explosion arrived as John Stuetzer launched a ball off the left-field scoreboard, and moments later Brayden Dowd followed with a homer over the right-field fence, flipping the score to 6-6.
The ninth inning brought tension when Gabe Fraser led off with a walk, advanced on a Ben Barrett single, and scored on Carter McCulley’s deep sacrifice fly that missed the fence by feet, narrowing the gap to 6-4.
Eli Putnam then stepped in as a pinch hitter, delivering a two-run homer that tied the game at six and forced the contest into extra innings.
In the tenth, Chase Williams attempted a daring dash to third but was cut down, and Nathan Cmeyla’s subsequent grounder produced a double play that halted Miami’s rally.
The decisive moment arrived in the eleventh when Chris Knier fanned the side, and Brayden Dowd’s bases-loaded walk-off walk completed the comeback.