Seminoles Roll into Supers

By Ben Jones

Special to CollegeBaseballInsider.com

 

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida State had seen enough one-run games and enough home runs from College of Charleston in the Tallahassee Regional. The Seminoles put an end to both in one fell swoop, beating the Cougars 8-1 on Monday behind a career day from freshman pitcher Drew Carlton.

 

Carlton pitched 6.2 shutout innings, tying a career high with nine strikeouts while allowing only six hits and one walk in the win.

 

"I thought Drew Carlton, their starting pitcher, was outstanding," College of Charleston coach Monte Lee said. "He set the tempo from the first pitch of the ball game. He worked extremely fast, pounded the strike zone, located his fastball down and away, out of the middle of the plate. Thought he really competed and did an outstanding job."

 

The Seminoles (44-19) move on to face rival Florida in next weekend's Super Regional in Gainesville. FSU won two of three midweek games against the Gators in the regular season, but lost the only game of the series in Gainesville.

 

Carlton's strong showing was sandwiched around a 57-minute weather delay that interrupted the game in the top of the third inning. He spent most of the break tossing inside with the Seminoles' bullpen catcher.

 

"Drew is a Florida State pitcher," coach Mike Martin said. "He's under control, he fields his position well, he's stoic, he's not a guy that's going to feel sorry for himself if a close call goes against him. He's going to do nothing but get better."

 

Charleston's season comes to an end. The Cougars (45-15) won a pair of one-run games in the Regional, but couldn't beat the Seminoles in two tries in their attempt to reach the Super Regionals for the second straight year. By Monday, with their pitching staff wearing down and the lineup in a funk, the Cougars faded quickly.

 

"This is the worst day of the year for a head baseball coach," Lee said. "Just a lot of emotions right now. Such a good group of kids that I got out there that did some pretty remarkable things for the College of Charleston baseball program over the last couple of years."

 

Florida State took over as soon as the rain delay ended in the top of the third. Play resumed with two runners on base and star left fielder DJ Stewart at the plate. He doubled to the wall in center to drive in both runs, then came in to score on the next at-bat from first baseman Quincy Nieporte.

 

Nieporte came back in the fifth and helped Florida State secure its lead. After a leadoff walk and a single, he launched his second homer of the Regional to left field to make the score 6-0. He finished the day 2 for 4 with a walk, a home run and four RBI.

 

"I felt if we put up another big inning, they were going to kind of back off a little bit," he said.

 

College of Charleston's only run came on a passed ball in the eighth inning after the Seminoles turned the game over to their bullpen. Reliever Dylan Silva gave up a single and a walk with one out, and a ground ball moved both runners over. The passed ball was the first run given up by FSU's bullpen all weekend. The Seminoles used only five pitchers all weekend: three starters, Silva and closer Billy Strode.

 

FSU felt safe enough with an 8-1 lead in the top of the ninth to pull Stewart, a likely draftee, and senior right fielder Josh Delph for a standing ovation at Dick Howser Stadium.

 

"So many teams, so many phenomenal programs are going home and going to play summer ball and we're still a family together," Nieporte said. "It's going to be a blast."