Florida State is headed to the semifinals in Omaha.
The Seminoles held on late Tuesday afternoon to beat North Carolina 9-5 at Charles Schwab Field in Nebraska and keep their Men’s College World Series run alive. That officially eliminated the Tar Heels from the tournament.
The battle was the only one of the day on Tuesday, as the night game was postponed due to incoming weather.
Key stats
It didn’t make a difference in the end, but Vance Honeycutt hit yet another home run for North Carolina.
The Tar Heels star drilled a three-run shot well into left field in the fifth inning to keep them in it late. It marked his sixth home run this postseason, the most of anyone in the postseason, and his fourth in his last five games. He’s also responsible for more than a third of the runs they’ve scored.
Highlights
He didn’t last long on the mound, but Matthew Mathijs pulled off an incredible pitch on Tuesday. Mathijs, despite a massive gust of wind whipping through the park and throwing his hat off his head mid-pitch, managed to deliver the toss without balking.
In fact, he didn’t even flinch. Just watch:
That, however, came amid the Seminoles’ two-run inning. After loading up the bases, Florida State scored one after Jaime Ferrer walked and then Daniel Cantu hit a sacrifice fly to score a second before the end of the inning. That, following Drew Faurot’s RBI single in the second, gave them a 3-0 lead.
North Carolina got one back in the third after a huge Casey Cook RBI double.
Florida State, however, erupted in the fifth with RBI singles from Jaxson West and Max Williams to suddenly push Florida State’s lead to 7-1. They had six hits in the inning.
How about RBI singles from Jax & Max to build on the lead!
4 runs, 6 hits in the 5th as UNC goes back to the ‘pen
T5 | FSU 7, UNC 1 pic.twitter.com/P08iVkgcHO
— FSU Baseball (@FSUBaseball) June 18, 2024
After surviving Honeycutt’s push in the bottom of the fifth, the Seminoles then loaded up the bases in the sixth but failed to score any. It wasn’t until Jax and Max each hit back-to-back solo home runs to kick off the ninth inning that the Seminoles finally took back control of the game. That pushed them to the four-run win and into the semifinals.
What’s next for Florida State?
With their win, Florida State will now advance into the semifinals in Omaha. The Seminoles will take on Tennessee next on Wednesday afternoon. The Volunteers secured their spot in the semifinals with a dominant 6-1 win over North Carolina on Sunday. That marked the Tar Heels’ first loss of the tournament. Tennessee, which edged out a one-run win over Florida State in its first-round game, has yet to lose in Omaha.
Up Next: Kentucky vs. Florida
No. 2 Kentucky and Florida were set to square off in the second game on Tuesday night in Omaha, though that game was postponed to Wednesday due to weather. The winner of that contest will advance into the semifinals to take on Texas A&M, which is fresh off a 5-1 win over Kentucky on Monday night. Kentucky-Florida will open Wednesday at 10 a.m. local time in what will end up being a three-game day in Nebraska.
Daniel Miller is a sports fanatic who lives and breathes athletics. His coverage spans from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis for sports enthusiasts.
