TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Dylan Busby connected on his fourth home run of the season and first collegiate grand slam, highlighting a five-run third inning that was instrumental in eighth-ranked Florida State (22-8, 9-2 ACC) downing fourth-ranked Louisville (24-7, 10-5) in the rubber match of the series by a 16-5 final.
Busby capped off his afternoon by finishing 1-for-4 from the plate with five RBI, collecting four on a 0-1 slider that ricocheted off the left field scoreboard. John Sansone (2-3, 3 RBI), Taylor Walls (3-6, 2 RBI, double) and Jackson Lueck (3-4, 2 runs) also had big days at the plate.
FSU starter Cole Sands tossed four innings, allowing one earned run, one walk and three hits while notching a pair of two strikeouts. Jim Voyles (4-0) followed on the mound and in the victory allowed two earned runs on four hits. The afternoon also included solid outings by Chase Haney and Andrew Karp, who combined to hold the Cardinals without a hit over 2.1 innings, while striking out four.
“I didn’t expect this kind of performance, but I am proud of our ball club and the way that we bounced back,” said head coach Mike Martin. “We were soundly beaten last night, but that is the great thing about baseball—you can’t get up or down, you have to be ready to go the next day—and our team was ready to go.
Florida State used a walk by Ben DeLuzio to generate the first run of the game. DeLuzio, hitting from the eighth spot, drew the walk and advanced to third on a double to left by Matt Henderson. After a wild pitch scored DeLuzio from third for the 1-0 lead, Sansone and Cal Raleigh loaded the bases with consecutive walks. Busby responded with his first collegiate grand slam to provide the Seminoles with a 5-0 edge.
Lueck, Donovan Petrey and DeLuzio helped FSU build on its lead in the fourth with a series of singles, loading the bases for Taylor Walls. Lueck advanced home on a failed pickoff attempt to catch Petry off guard at second, extending the lead to 6-0. Walls singled to the shortstop, again loading the bases, before consecutive walks of Sansone and Busby made for an 8-0 Seminole advantage.
The Cardinals put two across in the fifth inning after Corey Ray doubled down the right field line to score Drew Ellis. Ray sprinted home, trimming the deficit to 8-2, after a single to centerfield by Colby Fitch.
The Seminoles enjoyed their second big inning of the afternoon in the bottom of the fifth, scoring six runs on six hits. Lueck leadoff the frame with a single through the infield and after DeLuzio reached on a hit by pitch the pair were quickly at second and third, following a wild pitch. Two batters later, Walls plated Lueck with a single to second base.
Sansone continued the fifth inning scoring barrage with a single to left, bringing home Henderson and DeLuzio for the 11-2 advantage. A change on the mound for Louisville didn’t deter the Seminoles, who used a double down the left field line by Raleigh, which scored Sansone and Walls, to forge ahead by 11. Pinch hitter Darren Miller brought home Raleigh for the final run of the inning, and a 14-2 lead, with a double to right centerfield.
Doubles by Brendan McKay and Blake Tiberi helped Louisville score for the second time in as many innings, making for a 14-3 contest. The Seminoles got the run back in the home half of the sixth after Nick Graganella reached second on a throwing error by Tiberi. Walls brought his teammate home two batters later with a double down the left field line for a 12-run lead.
Louisville came through with its second two-run inning of the day in the seventh, highlighted by an RBI single to right by Devin Mann, before FSU loaded the bases in the bottom of the frame which resulted in Hank Truluck grabbing an RBI after Steven Wells Jr. trotted home from third final run of the 16-5 affair.
***Courtesy FSU Athletics
