No. 1 Tennessee rallies for four runs in ninth to walk-off Florida State in CWS opener

OMAHA, Neb. — The No. 8 Florida State Seminoles stood toe-to-toe with No. 1 Tennessee for nine innings Friday night in the opening round of the College World Series. But a suspect bullpen, which has endured highs and lows all season, could not protect a three-run lead with three outs to go.

The Volunteers scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to record a stunning 12-11 victory and send FSU into the losers’ bracket, where the ‘Noles will face Virginia in an elimination game on Sunday afternoon.

Tennessee will face North Carolina in a winners’ bracket game that night.

The opening-night jitters FSU coach Link Jarrett talked about all week were readily apparent early in Friday’s game. But after spotting the Vols an early three-run lead, Florida State settled down and took control in the middle innings.

FSU was led offensively by Jaime Ferrer, who went 2-for-5 with 4 RBIs, and Marco Dinges, who went 3-for-5 with 2 RBIs. They both also scored two runs apiece.

With Florida State clinging to a 9-7 lead in the seventh, Dinges came through with a two-out, two-run double that pushed the Seminoles’ advantage to 11-7. The Volunteers then scored one run in the eighth inning and then pounded out four runs in the ninth to record the walk-off victory..

Tennessee took a 4-1 lead in the second thanks to some early Florida State miscues. First, catcher Jaxson West dropped the ball while attempting to make a tag at the plate. Then pitcher Jamie Arnold threw the ball into right field after fielding a ground ball. Each error led to a run, as the Volunteers scored two runs in each of the first two innings.

Florida State reclaimed the lead with a six-run third. The Seminoles combined five hits with two Tennessee errors in the frame, with the big hits being a two-run double by Ferrer and an RBI double from Cam Smith.

Ferrer then blasted a two-run homer in the fourth to give Florida State a 9-4 advantage.

The Volunteers then got back in the game with the long ball. Kavares Tears blasted a two-run shot in the bottom of the fifth to cut FSU’s advantage to 9-6, then Christian Moore slammed a solo shot in the bottom of the sixth to make it 9-7.

Moore led Tennessee’s offense by hitting for the cycle. He is just the second player in CWS history to accomplish that feat, and the first since 1956. Moore went 5-for-6 and finished the night with two doubles, a single, triple and home run.

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