OXFORD, Miss. (Seminoles.com) — Four Seminole pitchers, led by freshman starter Parker Messick, combined to allow just two unearned runs and strike out nine in Florida State’s 5-2 win vs. Southern Miss Friday to open the Oxford Regional. Florida State (31-22) scored the final five runs of the game on the strength of three home runs to knock off the Golden Eagles (37-20).
Messick (8-2), the ACC Pitcher and Freshman of the Year, struck out five and allowed seven hits. After the Golden Eagles took a 2-0 lead on a pair of errors in the first inning, Messick continually worked out of trouble to keep FSU in the game.
Trailing 2-0 in the sixth inning, Tyler Martin reached on a two-base fielding error on a dropped pop fly before Logan Lacey tied the game with his eighth home run of the season over the Seminole bullpen in left field. Two batters later, Elijah Cabell lofted a ball into the FSU bullpen for a 3-2 lead.
Southern Miss pitcher Hunter Stanley (6-4) allowed three runs in 6.0 innings.
After Messick closed out USM in the sixth, Hunter Perdue recorded an out in the seventh before Jonah Scolaro came in for his fourth career NCAA Tournament appearance. The junior lefthander pitched 1.1 innings, into the eighth, before Jack Anderson earned his fifth save of the year with 1.1 innings pitched.
In the eighth inning, sophomore catcher Mat Nelson, the ACC Player of the Year, blasted a two-run home run off Ben Ethridge that provided the final margin. Nelson entered the postseason tied with South Carolina’s Wes Clarke for the national home run lead and both players hit their 23rd of the year on Friday.
The Seminoles will now play the winner of the Ole Miss and Southeast Missouri State Saturday at 6:00 p.m. ET.
SCORING SUMMARY:
B1 | FSU 0, USM 1 Fischer reached on fielding error, Montenegro scored; Trimble advanced to thirdB1 | FSU 0, USM 2 Sargent singled, Trimble scored; Fischer advanced to secondT6 | FSU 2, USM 2 Lacey home run, T. Martin scoredT6 | FSU 3, USM 2 Cabell home runT8 | FSU 5, USM 2 Nelson home run, Lacey scored
OF NOTE:
- Logan Lacey hit his eighth home run of the season, tying the game in the sixth inning. He hit a double in the eighth inning and scored on Mat Nelson’s home run. He is second on the team, behind Nelson, in multi-hit games (19) and doubles (13).
- Mat Nelson’s two-run home run was his 23rd of the year, the most for a Seminole since Buster Posey hit 26 in 2008. Nelson tied South Carolina’s Wes Clarke for the home run lead after Clarke hit No. 23 earlier Friday.
- Elijah Cabell had a pair of hits, including the game-winning home run. His 15 home runs are the second-most on the team and a career-high. In 2019, he played in two NCAA Tournament games but did not have an at-bat.
- Parker Messick lowered his season ERA to 3.10. Florida State has won eight consecutive Messick starts and the freshman has not lost since late February.
- Jonah Scolaro made his fourth career NCAA Tournament appearance, maintaining his 0.00 ERA over 6.1 innings. In 2019, Scolaro struck out all six Texas Tech batters he faced over 2.0 innings in the College World Series.
- Jack Anderson earned his team-high fifth save of the season.
- The following players made their NCAA Tournament debut: Tyler Martin, Logan Lacey, Dylan Simmons, Wyatt Crowell, Jackson Greene, Parker Messick, Hunter Perdue and Jack Anderson.
For more information on Florida State baseball, check Seminoles.com for the latest news and scheduling information, or keep up with the team on social media through Twitter (@FSUBaseball), Facebook (/FSUBaseball), and Instagram (@NoleBaseball).
