Florida State vs Boston College ACC Baseball Tournament Recap

(5) Florida State 12, (8) Boston College 2

After a disastrous four-game slide that left Florida State fans wondering if their team had given up on the season, the Seminoles are one game away from playing for the ACC championship on Sunday.  That game is one they will be watching rather than playing, however, as the Seminoles need the top-seeded Virginia Cavaliers to beat the fourth-seeded Miami Hurricanes on Saturday afternoon in order to advance. 

The Seminoles (41-17) struggled in all phases of the game in a three-game sweep at the hands of the Clemson Tigers to close the regular season.  The Seminole faithful saw much the same in the first game of the ACC tournament against their arch rivals from Miami.  However, Florida State looked like a completely different team, one with clutch pitching and dangerous hitting, in beating the number one team in the country on Thursday. The Seminoles topped the Virginia Cavaliers, 11-4, on the strength of five home runs and solid pitching. 

The Seminoles had a similarly dominating performance on Friday afternoon against the number eight seed, the Boston College Eagles (30-28).  The boys from BC, having lost to Virginia, entered the game without the possibility of advancing to the ACC championship game, so all of the motivation should have belonged to the Tallahassee nine.

That's exactly what this laugher indicated.

Florida State, faced with a must-win situation in order to have any chance of advancing to the ACC championship game, scored early and often in a rout of Boston College. After coming up empty in the bottom of the first, the Seminoles scored in every other inning of a seven-inning mercy-rule-shortened game. 

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The Seminoles' offensive parade began in the bottom of the second with four
singles, resulting in two runs.  The fireworks really started in the bottom of the third.  Florida State pounded Eagle pitching by plating four runs on five hits, including a two-run double by James Ramsey to increase its lead to 6-0. 

The fourth and fifth innings resulted in a pair of two-run homers, one by Ramsey
in the fourth and one by Devon Travis in the fifth.  Headed into the top of the sixth inning, the Eagles were down 10-0, but Mickey Wiswall prevented a shutout with a solo home run.  The Eagles added an unearned run on an error by FSU third baseman Sherman Johnson.  That more or less summed up the Eagles' offensive production, though. Seminoles starting pitcher John Gast (7-3) gave up only 1 earned run on 5 hits in five and two thirds innings. 

Johnson atoned for his error and added a home run in the bottom of the sixth. Tyler Holt
batted in a run in the bottom of the seventh to put the 'Noles up 10 and invoke
the mercy rule.  Florida State finished the seven-inning game with 12 runs on 15 hits against a trio of overmatched BC pitchers.  Starting pitcher John Leonard gave up six runs in only two and a third innings to take the loss. 

The Eagles are unlikely to earn an invitation to the NCAA tournament, so this was likely their final game of the season.  The Seminoles await tomorrow's match between Virginia and Miami.  If Virginia wins, the Seminoles will play in the ACC championship game on Sunday.  If Miami wins, the Hurricanes will advance.  The Seminoles are still in the running to host a regional and each win bolsters their case.

By: John Cary
DFN Sports Guest Writer