Liam Rooney/Tallahassee Democrat / USA TODAY NETWORK
Super Regional action began on Friday with Florida State rolling against Connecticut
Men’s College World Series Super Regionals began on Friday, with the final 16 teams split into eight best-of-three series. Four games are on the Friday slate, with Florida State hosting Connecticut with the first pitch shortly after noon Eastern.
The first game of their three-game set was, for all intents and purposes, over shortly after that.
Florida State hung three runs on the board in the bottom of the first and added five more over the next two innings en route to an early 8-0 lead through three innings. By the bottom of the seventh Connecticut was on their fifth pitcher, and the Seminoles were out to an 18-1 lead. Florida State was on its way to an opening-game win by 24-4, moving one step closer to Omaha.
FSU called on left-hander Carson Dorsey, who set the Huskies down in order in the top of the first. In the home half of the inning Florida State leadoff hitter Max Williams reached after he was plunked, and after Connecticut starter Ian Cooke recorded the next two outs DH Marco Dinges dug into the batter’s box … and quickly made it a 2-0 FSU lead with an opposite-field shot to right-center. Jaime Ferrer followed with a solo shot of his own, and the Seminoles were quickly ahead 3-0:
Florida State held that lead in the bottom of the second, thanks to a “strike ‘em out, throw ‘em out” double play from Dorsey and catcher Jaxson West:
The Seminoles would build that lead in the bottom inning, on a two-run shot from Williams:
Florida State was already out to a 9-1 lead in the bottom of the sixth, when the floodgates truly opened. The Seminoles added six runs in the sixth, with two of those runs coming on Ferrer’s second blast of the game:
If the sixth inning was bad for the Huskies, the seventh was even worse. FSU plated nine runs in the seventh, with three of those coming on a three-run shot from reserve outfielder DeAmez Ross to balloon the FSU lead to 24-1:
All told, the Seminoles had five home runs by the time the final out was recorded. Florida State’s 24 runs set a new NCAA single-game Super Regional record. Their margin of victory — 20 runs — also set a new NCAA single-game Super Regional record.
The two teams will be at it again on Saturday, with Connecticut facing elimination. Florida State is expected to send Jamie Arnold to the hill, who we highlighted earlier this week as one of the players to watch in the Super Regionals.
