The No. 6 Florida State Seminoles continued their red-hot start to the 2024 college baseball season with a convincing two-game sweep of Lipscomb at Dick Howser Stadium, improving to 15-0 on the year. Behind dominant pitching performances and explosive offense, Florida State cruised to 10-1 and 11-5 victories over the Bisons.
Game 1: Volini, Fisher Power Seminoles to 10-1 Win
In the series opener on Friday evening, redshirt junior Joey Volini delivered a masterful performance on the mound to lead Florida State to a 10-1 victory. Volini matched his career high with 11 strikeouts for the second consecutive outing, becoming the first Seminole pitcher this season to reach that mark. He worked a career-best 7.0 innings, allowing just six hits and one run — a solo home run in the second inning. Volini capped his outing by striking out the side in the seventh on just 10 pitches.
Offensively, sophomore third baseman Cal Fisher starred for the Seminoles, finishing 3-for-5 with two doubles and his first career grand slam. With Florida State holding a slim 4-1 lead since the second inning, Fisher’s sixth-inning slam broke the game wide open, pushing the lead to 8-1.
Florida State’s offense stayed productive throughout, with Max Williams, Gage Harrelson, and Myles Bailey each recording two hits. Williams belted his team-high fifth home run of the season in the eighth inning, while shortstop Alex Lodise contributed a pair of RBI. Nine-hole hitter BJ Gibson also chipped in with a key hit and run scored.
Game 2: Mendes, Bailey Shine in 11-5 Victory
On Saturday afternoon, Florida State’s offense struck early and often, cruising to an 11-5 victory to clinch the series sweep in front of 4,157 fans.
Freshman starting pitcher Wes Mendes dominated on the mound, working 5.1 innings and striking out a career-high 11 batters. Through four starts, Mendes boasts an impressive 0.89 ERA with 35 strikeouts across 20.1 innings.
The Seminoles bats erupted to give Mendes plenty of support, building a 10-0 lead by the sixth inning. Drew Faurot paced the offense with three hits, two runs, a walk, and four RBI, bringing his season total to 19 RBI.
Freshman first baseman Myles Bailey, hitting in the five-spot for the first time, collected a career-best four hits to extend his hitting streak to seven games. Over that span, Bailey is hitting 15-for-27 with eight RBI and nine runs scored.
Fisher continued his strong series with a double and a solo home run, his second of the season. Harrelson and Lodise kept their impressive hitting streaks alive, extending them to 15 and 14 games, respectively.
Hunter Carns added two hits and three RBI, including his second home run of the season. Redshirt freshman James Hankerson Jr. recorded his first career hit, a double in the eighth inning.
Lipscomb managed to score four runs in the seventh to avoid a run-rule decision but couldn’t keep pace with the Seminoles’ relentless offense.
With the series sweep, Florida State improves to 15-0, one of just four remaining undefeated teams in the country. The Seminoles will look to continue their perfect start as they face a challenging stretch of non-conference and ACC opponents in the weeks ahead.
Love My Noles BS on 1970And MS in 1972. Go Noles