For the second time in four games this week, the Florida State baseball bats were in demolition mode Saturday.
The Seminoles (12-2) extended their winning streak to eight games and clinched the weekend series vs. Northern Kentucky with a 13-3 run-rule win in seven innings at Dick Howser Stadium.
RBI machine Noah Sheffield kept rolling with four more RBIs — bringing his season tally to a team-high 21 — along with three runs on three hits. Eli Putnam’s first home run as a Seminole was a grand slam to also rack up four RBIs.
Those alone proved to be more than enough for Trey Beard, who delivered his second gem in as many starts as a Seminole.
Florida State got the scoring going from the jump. After an eight-pitch top of the first for Beard, the Seminoles led 3-0 three batters into the bottom of the first. Sheffield followed a leadoff double from John Stuetzer with an RBI single. Myles Bailey followed that with a two-run homer on the first pitch he saw, his fifth of the season.
The Norse got one run back in the second on a leadoff homer from Josh Williams, but the Seminoles responded with three more runs. This time, they all came with two outs as four straight batters reached base. Sheffield’s second RBI single in as many innings was followed by an intentional walk to Bailey (fair), an infield single from Kelvyn Paulino Jr. and a delayed steal of home by Noah Sheffield to make it 6-1 through two frames.
After the leadoff homer followed by a walk in the second, Beard set down the next nine batters he faced. He finished his outing allowing one run on two hits over five innings, striking out seven and walking two.
In Beard’s first two starts at FSU after a delayed start due to illness, he’s allowed one earned run on four hits over 10 innings, striking out 13 and walking three.
The Florida State bats fell silent for a few innings after the hot start before re-emerging in the fifth inning. After a leadoff walk chased NKU starter EJ Miramontes (7 ER, 6 H over 4+ innings), the next two batters also reached on walks before Putnam’s grand slam put the Seminoles in cruise control up 10-1.
Northern Kentucky got two runs back on Sam Bond’s home run off Brodie Purcell in his return to the mound.
But Jake Echols delivered a shutout seventh inning for the Seminoles, setting the stage for the walkoff.
A leadoff single from Cal Fisher — who had two hits — and a Stuetzer hit-by-pitch put two on with one out for Sheffield, who delivered his third RBI hit of the game, a two-run double.
Bailey then ended the game in the next at-bat with a single to right-center, giving Florida State its second run-rule win of the season.
Game 3 of the series is set for Sunday at 1 p.m. Bryson Moore (1-0, 3.75 ERA) gets the start for the Seminoles, who are looking to close out a second straight strong weekend of starts on the mound.