Florida State scored nine of its 11 runs in the first four innings against Tennessee during Friday’s College World Series opener, opening up what looked to be an insurmountable lead heading into the back stretch of the game.
The Vols would go on to outscore FSU eight runs to two over the next five innings including a walk-off RBI to end the night. Despite their bats slowing down late, Seminoles head coach Link Jarrett thought his team did fairly well at the plate down the stretch.
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“[Tennessee] is one of the better offensive teams in the country, correct? And you saw that a little bit today,” Jarrett said postgame. “You saw some of the tough ABs. And we walked — what did we walk? We walked nine times. And punched out 12. But there were some critical walks in there.
“I thought the base running, we stole some bases. And they don’t have many chinks in the armor, but if you have an chink in the run game to use it and try to grab momentum and put yourself in a better scoring position, stay out of a double play. We did that.”
Overall, Florida State finished the game with 13 hits from seven different batters. Designated hitter Marco Dinges finished the game with three hits on five attempts, knocking in two RBIs and a walk. First baseman Jamie Ferrer logged a whopping four RBIs during the contest to go along with two hits and a walk of his own.
In total, four FSU batters finished with a multi-hit game despite falling short to the top-seeded Tennessee Volunteers. They scored 11 runs with only one home run to help aid them as well.
“The offense was fine and I think it’s been okay all year. Again, it’s not flawless,” Jarrett continued. “And there are moments where we don’t execute approaches and are a little bit reckless. But overall it’s one of the better offenses in the country. You saw two of the elite offenses — power, on-base capabilities, use of the field, two-strike hitting, and management of the count where you can walk some.”
Now, Florida State head to the consolation rounds where the Seminoles will face elimination against Virginia, who is coming off a tough 3-2 loss to North Carolina, on Sunday. The first pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET and will air live on ESPN.
The post Link Jarrett evaluates Florida State’s offense after loss in first game of CWS appeared first on On3.