It was an elimination Sunday game here at the Chuck between 2 teams who were already victims of walk offs losses. “Respond” said shortstop Alex Lodise, “You have to move on”. Head Coach Link Jarrett added, “This teams response by playing arguably the best game we’ve played this year…it’s not easy to go to bed after that”
Carson Dorsey got the call on the bump today for the Noles. While he has seen some traffic in the postseason, he Is someone who seems to get better and more comfortable as the game get tougher. We often hear the phrase “Get to him early or not all” this described Dorsey to a tee today!
Like game 1, Virginia came out swinging putting two hits on the board. Dorsey was able to pick off Henry Godbout who singles. Casey Saucke would single as well but to no avail of the Cavaliers as Carson would strand him on first. Just like Dorsey is accustomed to doing, he really settled in from there. “Being able to have more than just the fastball working and trusting in those pitches is what the difference is today.” Said Dorsey. In the College World Series, and especially the losers bracket, it’s so important to stay ahead of your bullpen. Dorsey going 7 strong innings allowing just 3 runs, all scored after taking a with a 7-0 lead. Carson added 7k’s as well against a Virginia lineup with tremendous bat to ball skills. Opposing Coach Link Jarrett said of Virginia’s offense “Best or second best in terms of their ability, bat-to-ball skills and athleticism.” Brennan Oxford would bounce back from a rough outing against Tennessee on Friday night, as he would record the final 6 outs allowing just 2 base runners.
Jay Woolfolk was out to a tremendous start again for Virginia. Early on Jay was locating his fastball, and the offspeed stuff had late break. He navigated a tough third inning where the zone appeared to shrink, allowing FSU to load the bases, and score on a walk plating the first run of the game. From there, he induced some weak contact to limiting the damage. In the 4th inning Jaime Ferrer would launch a curveball over the fence. He has been the Noles hottest hitter recording a hit in each of the team’s postseason games this year, that includes all of the ACC tournament games! He’s homered in back to back games here in Omaha which is no easy feat! On the pitch Jay Woolfolk would tweak his knee and exit a batter later.
From there, the game flipped on its head. While Joe Savino was able to induce a double play and exit the 4th inning, the 5th inning was a different story. Cam Smith would get the hitting started with a 1 out double. Virginia would elect to not pitch to James Tibbs III issuing a two out intentional walk. This proved to be the wrong choice as Marco Dinges would single home Smith. From there, the Noles hottest hitter would step to the dish. Down 2-0 in the count, Savino would hang a breaking ball that Ferrer hammered into the home. “I was trying to see something up. I saw a slider up in his and I got enough on it to get it out.” Said Ferrer.
Virginia would make a late push adding 3 runs in the 7th and 8th innings, but it would prove to not be enough as Virginia would lose 7-3. Virginia again struggled to hit with runners on stranding 9 guys on base while Florida State would leave just 3 men on base. Jay Woolfolk having to leave the game early due to his leg injury would stress the bullpen early for Virgina and be a key factor in Florida State scoring.
For Florida State, they await the loser of the night game between Tennessee and North Carolina. There is familiarity as the Noles have that bad taste in their mouths from the walk off against the Vols on Friday night. While UNC and FSU did not meet in the regular season, there is familiarity between programs as both are mainstays at the top of the ACC standings.
For Virginia, their season ends the same way as it does in 2023, going 0-2 and your best hitters going cold. This is the Cavaliers 6 straight Omaha loss and they are just 1-6 in their last 3 College World Series. They will need to replace a ton of bats for a team that lived up to the expectations. This junior class of UVA is one of the best in school history, and will be talked about for years to come.
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