TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (SEMINOLES.COM) — Sophomore catcher Mat Nelson hit his 11th home run of the season Tuesday, but the Dolphins hit a two-run home run in the ninth inning to beat Florida State 8-7 at Dick Howser Stadium. Nelson had FSU’s first five RBI of the game and now leads the ACC in home runs and runs batted in (33).
Jacksonville’s Christian Coipel hit three home runs Tuesday, including a two-run home run with two outs in the ninth inning that proved to be the game winner.
Nelson’s first inning single scored Logan Lacey and his third inning grand slam gave FSU a 5-3 lead. It was the first grand slam of Nelson’s career and the third for the Seminoles this season.
Starting pitcher Carson Montgomery struck out six batters in 4.2 innings, allowing four runs (two earned) on six hits. Jack Anderson, Chase Haney, Wyatt Crowell and Davis Hare allowed four runs in 4.1 innings of relief.
The Dolphins scored a pair of unearned runs in the first inning, courtesy of a passed ball and fielding error that made the score 2-0. FSU got one back in the bottom of the frame when Logan Lacey doubled and scored on Nelson’s RBI single.
Jacksonville made it 3-1 in the second inning on leadoff hitter Ruben Someillan’s sacrifice fly.
With one out in the bottom of the third, Jacksonville starter Tyler Naumann gave up a single to Tyler Martin, a second double to Lacey and walked Robby Martin before Nelson’s first career grand slam gave FSU a 5-3 lead.
Jacksonville cut the lead to 5-4 on Coipel’s first home run of the game. His second home run, in the seventh inning, gave the Dolphins a 6-5 lead in the seventh inning and chased Anderson from the game. Chase Haney forced a pair of groundouts and Robby Martin hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the inning to tie the game at 6-6 after seven innings.
The Noles took a 7-6 lead in the bottom of the eighth inning when third baseman Jackson Grabsky had an errant throw that allowed Reese Albert to score.
Hare walked Someillan to start the ninth inning. With two out, Coipel’s third home run of the game gave the Dolphins the 8-7 lead. Lacey singled to start the bottom of the ninth, his third hit of the game, but Jagger McCoy (1-2) got three straight outs to secure the win.
Florida State is next in action this weekend at No. 7 Louisville, with games scheduled for 6 pm Friday, 1 pm Saturday and 4 pm on ESPNU Sunday. The Seminoles are 5-1 on the road this season, winning at series at No. 18 Virginia Tech and sweeping No. 6 Miami.
OF NOTE
- Mat Nelson tied a career high with 5 RBI Tuesday. He had an RBI single in the first inning and hit his first career grand slam in the third inning. He is tied for the ACC lead with 11 home runs and leads the league with 33 RBI.
- FSU has hit three grand slams this season – Robby Martin at Virginia Tech, Reese Albert vs. Wake Forest and Nelson vs. Jacksonville.
- Nelson threw out his sixth base runner of the year in 10 tries.
- Logan Lacey doubled to left field in each of his first two at-bats. It was his second career game with two doubles (at Duke in 2020) and he leads FSU with eight this season.
- Lacey joins Tyler Martin (vs. Virginia Tech) and Robby Martin (vs. Miami) with two doubles in a game this season.
- Tyler Martin singled in the third inning, extending his streak of reaching base to a career-high 19 games. He has reached safely in 38 of 39 career starts. Martin scored his 30th run of the season and entered Tuesday tied for the league lead in runs scored, on-base percentage and walks.
- Tyler Martin was also hit by a pitch, his team-high eighth of the year.
- Chase Haney made his 17th pitching appearance this season, most in the country. He ranks third in FSU history with 124 career pitching appearances.
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).
