FSU Baseball smashes Northern Kentucky, 13-3; Softball secures series win on road

Courtesy of Florida State Sports Information:

The No. 20 Florida State baseball team secured the series win against Northern Kentucky with a 13-3 run-rule, walk-off win in seven innings on Saturday afternoon.

The Seminoles (12-2) won their eighth consecutive game with the help of a grand slam by redshirt senior second baseman Eli Putnam, a steal of home by sophomore right fielder Noah Sheffield and a home run and walk-off hit by sophomore first baseman Myles Bailey. Meanwhile, junior left-handed starter Trey Beard and the FSU pitching staff held the Norse (7-6) to five hits.

Sheffield stole home in the second inning as part of a triple steal. He’s the first Seminole to steal home in almost exactly eight years, as J.C. Flowers last achieved the feat on March 9, 2018, in a 7-3 win over Wake Forest. On the day, Sheffield had three hits, four RBI and three runs scored, including scoring the walk-off winner in the seventh inning.

Putnam hit his third career grand slam and first since 2024. The fifth-inning blast to center field was his first home run as a Seminole and 36th of his career.

Bailey had two hits, three RBI and two runs scored to go along with three walks. He homered in the first inning, a two-run shot to right, and his RBI single in the seventh inning walked it off for the Seminoles. Bailey’s home run, his team-leading fifth of the season, is his 24th of his two-year career.

Beard earned his first win at FSU on the mound. In 5.0 innings, he allowed one run on two hits with seven strikeouts and two walks. Beard has pitched 5.0 innings and allowed just one run in each of his two starts, with today’s seven strikeouts a season best.

With the win, FSU secured its third series win of the season and will go for the series sweep on Sunday at 1 p.m. The Seminoles are 3-0 all-time against NKU.

Florida State jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first, as a Sheffield RBI single was followed by Bailey’s two-run home run to right. Northern Kentucky got a run back in the second with a leadoff home run, but the damage was limited as Beard got an inning-ending groundout to leave a runner on second.

The Seminoles answered with three more in the bottom of the second, all with two outs. Sheffield again drove in the first run with an RBI single, and freshman designated hitter Kelvyn Paulino Jr. then singled in another with the bases loaded. That set up Sheffield’s steal of home to make it 6-1 after two.

Like he did in the first, Beard retired the side in order in the third and fourth. He struck out two in the fourth. Two reached in the fifth, but a strikeout ended the inning with runners on second and third to conclude Beard’s outing.

Putnam’s grand slam extended the lead in the fifth to 10-1. With no outs, the 413-foot blast to center field followed three consecutive walks. Two of the walks came on 3-2 pitches after the FSU batters battled back from 1-2 counts.

Against the Florida State bullpen in the sixth, a two-run home run cut into the lead to make it 10-3. Junior righty Jake Echols pitched a scoreless seventh to set up the walk-off in the bottom half.

A leadoff single and one-out hit batter put two on for Sheffield, who doubled down the left-field line to score both runs. Bailey then delivered the walk-off hit, a single to right-center to score Sheffield

The series concludes on Sunday at 1 p.m. Tickets are available at Seminoles.com/Tickets or by calling the FSU ticket office at 850-644-1830. Admission is free for all FSU students with their FSUID, with the student entrance at the right field gate at Haggard Plaza. All gates at Dick Howser Stadium will open 60 minutes prior to first pitch for every game in 2026.

Every Sunday regular-season home game is Sunday Funday, where Kids Club members and youth wearing their little league jerseys will be admitted free, and kids 12 and under will be allowed to run the bases postgame.

FSU Softball clinches road series win

The No. 10 Florida State softball team (20-4) defeated Coastal Carolina (12-11), 5-2, to clinch the series against the Chanticleers on Saturday afternoon.

After three scoreless innings, the Noles broke through in the fourth inning as the first four batters of the inning reached base. Ashtyn Danley started off the inning with a single to left field and moved to second on a wild pitch. Marin Heller hit her eighth double of the year to bring home Danley to give the Noles the 1-0 lead. Bella Ruggiero immediately followed Heller with a single to bring home Heller. A Makenna Sturgis double put runners on second and third, and Angelee Bueno brought home Ruggiero on a groundout to put the Noles up 3-0. 

Jazzy Francik got the start for the Noles and was terrific as the sophomore pitched five scoreless inning and allowed just two hits in those five innings. The Chanticleers hit back-to-back home runs off Francik in the sixth inning to pull within one.

The Noles responded with two more runs of their own in the top of the seventh. Bueno was hit by the first pitch she saw, and Torres immediately doubled for her third hit of the day. Bueno came home on a groundout from Jaysoni Beachum, and Torres scored on a wild pitch to make it 5-2. 

Makenna Reid came on to relief Francik in the sixth and was flawless as she retired the final four batters in order to get her eighth career save. 

Torres once again led the Noles at the plate with a 3-for-4 showing. Torres now has 12 hits in her last 14 at-bats. Danley was also 2-for-3 offensively. 

FSU will wrap up the series against the Chanticleers Sunday at noon on ESPN+.

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