Isa Torres sets record with 6 hits in FSU softball win; Baseball cruises past N. Kentucky

Courtesy of FSU Sports Information

Isa Torres’ record-breaking night led the No. 10 Florida State softball team (19-4) to a 20-8 win over Coastal Carolina (12-10) on Friday night at St. John Stadium in Conway, S.C.

Torres went a perfect 6-for-6 with four RBI and became the first Seminole to ever record six hits and was the first Division-I player since 2017 to record six hits in a seven-inning game. 

Torres got the game going with a bunt single and advanced to second on an error and moved herself to third on a wild pitch. Jaysoni Beachum drove her home on a RBI single to put the Noles up 1-0. 
Coastal Carolina responded with four runs on three home runs in the first inning to take the lead. 

The FSU offense responded in a big way. The Noles had a fierce two-out rally as Bella Ruggiero picked up her first of four hits of the day. Shelby McKenzie and Hayley Griggs recorded back-to-back walks to load the bases for Torres who delivered with a single through the right side to score Ruggiero. Beachum delivered with a single to clear the bases and put the Noles up 5-4.

The Chanticleers responded with two more runs in the third to take a 6-5 lead, but that would be the last lead the Chanticleers would take. After a scoreless third inning, Torres hit a leadoff singled, and Kennedy Harp hit her second home run of the season to put the Noles up 7-6. 

Ruggiero started off the fifth inning with a single, and Ruggiero scored on a single up the middle from Torres to put the Noles up 8-6.

Coastal Carolina tied the game back up in the bottom of the fifth inning, but FSU exploded for 12 runs on 10 hits in the final two innings to pull away and seal the victory. 

Ashtyn Danley was credited with the win as she went 5.2 innings and allowed two runs while striking out three. The Noles will be back in action for game two of the series Saturday at 1 p.m. on ESPN+.

FSU Baseball wins with combined one-hitter

Junior left-handed starter Wes Mendes struck out a career-best 12 batters as the No. 20 Florida State baseball team one-hit Northern Kentucky in a 7-3 win on Friday night to begin the three-game series.

As the Seminoles (11-2) won their seventh in a row, Mendes took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and held the Norse (7-5) to one earned run on one hit with 12 strikeouts in 5.1 innings to improve to 4-0 on the season. The FSU offense countered with single runs in all but one inning to end a five-game NKU win streak.

Mendes’ 12 strikeouts are the most by a Seminole since Jamie Arnold fanned 17 on May 10, 2024, against Pitt. Six of Mendes’ 12 strikeouts came in the first two innings, as he struck out the side in the first and second. He also struck out two in the fourth and fifth.

Junior right-hander Chris Knier relieved Mendes in the sixth inning and followed with 3.2 innings of no-hit ball. He struck out four and did not walk a batter to earn his second save. Mendes and Knier combined to allow three runs, one earned, on one hit with 16 strikeouts and four walks.

Offensively, sophomore right fielder Noah Sheffield and freshman third baseman Will Bavaro both homered for the second consecutive game, the second long-ball of each of their careers. Both had two RBI, and Bavaro had a game-high-tying two hits.

FSU scored seven runs on 10 hits and NKU scored three runs on one hit. Both teams committed one error.

The Seminoles improve to 2-0 all-time against Northern Kentucky, as the two teams meet for the first time since 1980.

Sheffield’s one-out solo home run to left field in the first inning gave Florida State the early 1-0 lead. Bavaro doubled home freshman designated hitter Kelvyn Paulino Jr. with two outs in the second inning to make it 2-0.

Northern Kentucky tied the game at 2-2 in the third, as back-to-back walks led off the inning and a throwing error scored both runs. Mendes limited the damage with a foul-out, groundout and strikeout to leave a runner on third.

A Sheffield groundout gave the Seminoles the lead back in the third, 3-2, and a fourth-inning groundout doubled the advantage back to two at 4-2.

The Norse got their first hit, and scored their final run, in the sixth to make it 4-3. A leadoff walk, one-out single and walk loaded the bases and led to the end of Mendes’ night. Knier came in and got a fielder’s choice groundout to score a run before a strikeout ended the inning with the tying run on third and the go-ahead run on second.

Bavaro provided the FSU answer in the bottom of the sixth, as Bavaro led off the frame with a homer to left. That extended the lead back to 5-3, and Paulino Jr. made it 6-3 with a run-scoring single in the seventh. One more in the eighth made it 7-3, with a groundout by sophomore first baseman Myles Bailey bringing home the last run of the night.

Knier got the final three outs in the ninth to complete his night where he faced 11 batters and got 11 outs, including 10 in a row following the fielder’s choice groundout in the sixth.

The series continues on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET and concludes on Sunday at 1 p.m.

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