Even after his Florida State baseball team trounced James Madison on Saturday, 16-5, in a game that was called in the seventh inning due to the run rule, Link Jarrett said he’s still not sure how he wants to lay out his offensive lineup this season.
The order he chose on Saturday couldn’t have worked much better — at least when it came to the top four batters.
Leadoff batter Brayden Dowd, designated hitter Noah Sheffield, first baseman Myles Bailey and cleanup hitter Cal Fisher combined to deliver 12 hits in 14 at-bats on Saturday, and they also drove in a combined 11 runs.
Dowd, an outfielder who transferred in from Southern Cal this offseason, went 3-for-3 with a single, double, home run and two walks. Fisher went 4-for-5 with a double and 5 RBIs, Sheffield went 3-for-3 with a double and 1 RBI, and Bailey went 2-for-2 with 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored.
Dowd led the Seminoles with five runs scored, and Sheffield added four more.
With expected starting pitcher Trey Beard sidelined by illness, Florida State gave the start to Bryson Moore, who was originally expected to pitch on Sunday. Moore, a transfer from Virginia, got out of the first inning unscathed, but he gave up three runs in the second and was pulled after recording just five outs.
FSU’s bullpen fared better. Cade O’Leary gave up two runs on two hits over the next 2 1/3 innings, and Cooper Whited and Cole Stokes pitched three scoreless frames to end the game.
O’Leary was credited with the victory, as the Seminoles improved to 2-0 before a crowd of 6,577.
Florida State and James Madison were originally scheduled to conclude their season-opening series Sunday at 1 p.m., but first pitch has been moved up to 11 a.m. due to a high chance of inclement weather Sunday afternoon.
If Beard does not feel well enough to pitch, Jarrett said he wasn’t sure yet who he would turn to on the mound.
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