CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Quincy Nieporte and Jackson Lueck each had home runs Saturday, but Miami got a walk-off run in the 10th inning to beat Florida State, 5-4, Saturday evening at Mark Light Field. Each team had just five hits in the game, but a crucial error in the 10thsnapped FSU’s four-game win streak.
“Tyler Holton was good, our bullpen was good,” head coach Mike Martin said. “We got some big hits from Quincy and Jackson…we’re just ready to get after it tomorrow.”
After being robbed of a home run in the second inning of Friday’s game, Nieporte led off the second with a no-doubter off Miami starter Michael Mediavilla to give FSU a 1-0 lead. His eight home runs are tied with Dylan Busby for the team lead.
In the third inning, Nieporte netted two more RBI on a bases loaded single that pushed FSU’s lead to 3-0. J.C. Flowers walked, Taylor Walls singled and Lueck walked before Nieporte’s 46th and 47th RBI of the season.
Miami’s Michael Burns gave the Hurricanes a lead in the bottom of the inning with a one-out grand slam. FSU starter Tyler Holton had retired the first seven Miami hitters, but a single, walk and hit by pitch loaded the bases for Burns’ slam. It was the first grand slam allowed by the Seminoles this season.
Both pitchers settled in after that. Holton exited in the seventh inning after 6.1 innings, allowing three hits and four runs, walking three and striking out five. Mediavilla went a season-high 6.2 innings and struck out 10 batters.
After Burns’ slam, neither team scored until Lueck’s solo home run off Miami reliever Andrew Cabezas (1-2) to open the eighth inning, tying the game at 4-4. The opposite field home run was Lueck’s fourth of the season.
Chase Haney entered with a runner on second and one out in the seventh before forcing a groundout and striking out Randy Batista. Haney allowed a double in the ninth before giving way to Alec Byrd.
Byrd struck out James Davison and Nico Baldor to end the ninth and force extra innings.
In the tenth, Busby dropped a bunt single down the third base line, but was stranded. In the bottom of the inning, Byrd (2-2) gave up an infield single to Brandon Gali before exiting in favor of Drew Carlton.
After Gali stole second base, Walls’ errant throw on a grounder from Burns allowed Gali to score the winning run.
Cabezas went 3.1 innings in relief, allowing a run on two hits while striking out four.
The error was FSU’s first of the series.
For the Seminoles, all five hits came from their first four hitters, with Nieporte the only Seminole with two. FSU batters struck out a season-high 14 times.
Sunday’s rubber match pits Drew Parrish (3-2, 4.98 ERA) against Miami’s Gregory Veliz (3-2, 2.41 ERA). The game will start at 12:00 p.m., one hour earlier than originally scheduled due to inclement weather scheduled for later in the afternoon.
It will stream on ACC Network Extra on WatchESPN, while Eric Luallen will provide play-by-play audio on 106.1 FM in Tallahassee and nationwide on the FSU Gameday App.
