Late-inning comeback spurs Florida State to Sunday win and sweep over Notre Dame

Without its usual Sunday starter, Florida State (28-11, 12-6) scratched and clawed its way to a 6-4 win over Notre Dame (17-18, 7-14) on Sunday afternoon to clinch a series sweep over the Irish.

At the plate, the Noles struggled for much of the afternoon and only scored two runs through six innings courtesy of a two-run homer from Brody DeLamielleure. However, in the seventh, the offense erupted for four two-out runs, flipping the game on its head from a 4-2 deficit to a 6-4 lead. Nathan Cmeyla’s two-RBI triple gave FSU a 5-4 advantage, but Chase Williams, who went 2-3 on the day and looks to be finding his groove at the plate, helped keep the inning alive with a two-out RBI double, two at-bats prior. The lineup obviously looks different without Myles Bailey, but Florida State only struck out seven times today, focusing on putting the ball in play, and their strategy paid off with a late-game comeback.

On the mound, the Seminole bullpen combined for 5.2 innings of two-run ball, including 3.0 shutout frames in the seventh, eighth, and ninth from Brodie Purcell and Chris Knier. While it took the offense time to mount a comeback, FSU’s pen kept its team in the game and did not allow an Irish baserunner past first base from the sixth inning on.

Stepping in for Bryson Moore, LHP Cooper Whited made his second start of the week and navigated out of a two-on two-out jam in the first by inducing an easy groundout to third base. The lefty fired a 1-2-3 second, but allowed his first run of the day on an RBI double in the top of the third.

Although FSU’s offense came alive in the first two games of the weekend, combining for 20 runs in 16 innings, the Nole batting order started slow. After getting sat down in order in the first, John Stuetzer was thrown out trying to steal third with one out in the second. In the ensuing inning, Gabe Fraser began the frame with a double, but a sac-bunt, strikeout, and a lazy fly ball left him on.

Trailing 1-0 heading into the fourth, the Noles fell further behind as a lead-off single and throwing error put an ND runner on second before a one-out RBI single plated the second Irish run of the game, ending Whited’s outing after 3 1/3 IP. Cole Stokes relieved Whited, and although he walked and hit a batter to load the bases, he fired an inning-ending strikeout to keep the deficit at two.

Florida State broke through in the home half of the fourth. Chase Williams led off with a bloop single into right-center and reached second base by tagging up from first. With two gone in the inning, Brody DeLamielleure, who pinch-hit for Stuetzer after the freshman cut his hand earlier in the game, laced a two-strike fastball over the fence in right for a game-tying two-run homer. The Seminoles continued to threaten as Fisher and Fraser each reached base on infield singles, but a groundout back to the pitcher kept the contest deadlocked at two.