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Lueck Walk-Off Home Run Gives FSU Split in Doubleheader vs. Miami

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Posted at 10:49 PM, May 21, 2016
and last updated 2016-05-21 22:49:00-04

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida State freshman Jackson Lueck capped off a 5-for-8 performance on the day with a walk-off home run in the second game of a doubleheader as 12th-ranked Florida State (34-19, 16-10 ACC) earned a split with a 3-2 victory over third-ranked Miami (43-10, 21-7 ACC) on Saturday at Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium.

The victory over Miami places Florida State fourth overall in the ACC, heading into the conference tournament that begins next week in Durham, N.C. The Seminoles will be in Pool A, along with the Hurricanes, who earned the No. 1 overall seed, and fifth-seeded NC State (34-18, 15-13). The final seed for Pool A will be determined Tuesday in a battle between No. 8 Boston College (31-19, 13-15) and No. 9 Georgia Tech (35-20, 13-16).

Lueck, who wrapped up the second game by going 2-for-3 with two runs and one RBI, blasted a 0-1 hanging changeup by Miami’s Ryan Guerra over the centerfield wall for his second walk-off hit as a Seminole. It was one of two extra-base hits for Lueck on the afternoon, who also recorded his second triple.

Joining Lueck among the offensive leaders was Cal Raleigh, who overcame flu-like symptoms to finish 3-of-4 with a double and one RBI. Teammate Dylan Busby (1-4) tallied his fifth triple of the season in the seventh inning to account for the remaining FSU extra-base hit.

Freshman hurler Tyler Holton, who did not figure in the decision, posted his season-high in strikeouts (eight) as he tied his longest outing of the season (six innings). The Tallahassee, Fla., native faced 22 Miami hitters and allowed only one earned run on two hits.

He was followed on the mound by combination of Alec Byrd, Jim Voyles, Matt Kinney and Tyler Warmoth, who collectively held the Canes’ lineup to three hits and one earned run. Warmoth (1-1) earned the victory after posting the last two outs of the Miami 10th.

“You have to be mentally tough,” said head coach Mike Martin. “In the first game we fell behind 8-2 and we could’ve tossed it in, but we battled. In the second game we made a mistake that cost us a run, but we stayed mentally tough. It was a big win—plain and simple.”

Lueck recorded the first of nine FSU hits in the second game when he sent a triple into right field. He scored two batters later on a grounder to third by Steven Wells Jr., giving the Noles a 1-0 lead in the second inning.

Miami tied the game in the third when Jacob Heyward slid into home on a fielder’s choice by Joe Gomez.

UM’s Willie Abreu connected on his second home run of the day to give the Canes a 2-1 advantage in the seventh, but FSU quickly retaliated.

The rally began with Busby’s triple to right centerfield. Busby, hitting ninth in the lineup, was tagged out two batters later as he attempted to tie the game on a fielder’s choice by John Sansone. However, the Seminoles quickly turned that misfortune into a positive when Raleigh delivered a clutch double down the right field line to score Sansone from first and knot the game at 2-2.

The game remained deadlocked until Lueck led off the 10th inning with his home run to centerfield. It marks the first time walk-off home run by the Seminoles since Quincy Nieporte’s blast against Florida on April 14, 2015.