TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Four different Florida State hitters, including Darren Miller, Cal Raleigh, Ben DeLuzio and John Sansone, hit home runs as the Seminoles downed previously unbeaten Georgia Tech by an 8-2 margin on Friday night at Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium.
Miller (1-4, 3 RBI, HR) and DeLuzio (1-2, RBI, HR), hitting seventh and eighth in the Seminole lineup, rounded the bases on back-to-back home runs in a five-run third inning. Raleigh (3-3, RBI, 2 runs) followed with a solo home run in the fifth inning and Sansone, who finished 3-of-5 (RBI) from the plate, recorded his third home run of the season in the seventh.
It is the first time that Florida State (11-3, 1-0 ACC) has smacked four home runs in a game since April 14, 2015, against the in-state rival Gators.
Redshirt senior hurler Mike Compton (2-1) provided his team with consistency on the mound by striking out six Yellow Jackets over seven innings. He scattered six hits, allowed two earned runs and one walk in 110 pitches. Teammate Ed Voyles completed the win by throwing the final two innings, surrendering two hits while recording three strikeouts.
“We were very blessed to have Mike in the role that he was in,” said head coach Mike Martin. “He was able to throw 110 pitches and was working both sides of the plate.”
Taylor Walls led off the home half of the first with a double off the right field wall. He scored on a ground out to third by Sansone, which included a throwing error by Georgia Tech’s Tristin English, who attempted to get Walls on the play.
Georgia Tech (12-1) starting hurler Brandon Gold (1-1) gave himself run support in the second inning with a solo home run over the right field wall to knot the game at one-all.
Florida State’s offense exploded in the third inning after Quincy Nieporte reached base on a throwing error by third baseman Trevor Craport. Raleigh followed with a walk and Gage West loaded the bases with a single into left field.
Dylan Busby extended the third inning when he scored Nieporte on a grounder to first, giving the Noles a 2-1 advantage. Miller extended the lead to four by sending a towering three-run home run over the left field wall. DeLuzio followed with a home run over the left centerfield wall, marking the first back-to-back home runs by the Seminoles since Nieporte and DJ Stewart accomplished the feat in the ninth inning against Clemson on May 16, 2015.
The Yellow Jackets capitalized on a double into right field by Kel Johnson, scoring Connor Justus, to trim the deficit to 6-2. However, Raleigh continued the home run barrage in the home half of the fifth when he sent a shot over the right field fence.
Two innings later, Sansone capped off Florida State scoring when he belted a leadoff home run to left centerfield.
The series between Florida State and Georgia Tech continues on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m., a change in time from the originally scheduled 6 p.m. The matchup will feature Florida State’s Drew Carlton who is 3-0 with a 1.50 ERA.
Seminole fans can always stay up-to-date with the Florida State Baseball team by following the official twitter page of the Seminoles (@FSUBaseball).
--Courtesy: Seminole Athletics--
