{"id":271791,"date":"2026-05-15T04:11:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T04:11:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/271791\/"},"modified":"2026-05-15T04:11:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T04:11:10","slug":"no-11-fsu-rallies-to-walk-off-miami-in-extras","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/271791\/","title":{"rendered":"No. 11 FSU Rallies to Walk Off Miami in Extras"},"content":{"rendered":"

TALLAHASSEE \u2013 The No. 11 Florida State baseball team walked off Miami 7-6 in 11 innings after rallying to erase a 6-1 eighth-inning deficit on Thursday night at Dick Howser Stadium.
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\nThe Seminoles (37-15, 18-10 ACC) scored two runs in the eighth inning and another three in the ninth to tie the Hurricanes (35-16, 15-13 ACC) at 6-6. A two-out, bases-loaded walk won it for FSU in the 11th inning.
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\nRedshirt senior pinch hitter Eli Putnam<\/a> was the game-tying hero, hitting a two-run home run in the ninth inning to tie the game. That came after senior second baseman Carter McCulley<\/a> drove in the first run of the ninth with a sac fly that made it 6-4. In the eighth, back-to-back home runs by freshman left fielder John Stuetzer<\/a> and junior center fielder Brayden Dowd<\/a> cut a 6-1 deficit down to three, at 6-3.
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\nDowd drew the four-pitch walk in the 11th to bring home senior first baseman Ben Barrett<\/a>, who reached on a one-out infield single. A two-out single and a hit batter on a 1-2 pitch loaded the bases for Dowd, who drew four consecutive balls to walk it off.
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\nThe extra-inning contest is the first in the FSU-UM rivalry since a 10-inning defeat in 2017, while a 3-2 win in 2016 was Florida State’s last victory in extras before tonight. An 8-7 win in 17 innings the previous year, 2015, was the last time the two in-state rivals played more than 10 innings. In the most-played series in program history, the Seminoles improve to 165-137-4 all-time against the Hurricanes and 85-59-1 at home. FSU has won six of the last seven overall, six in a row at home and nine of the last 11 at Howser.
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\nPutnam was 2-2 with two RBI coming off the bench, while Dowd also had two hits with two RBI. Barrett led the team with three hits and scored two runs, including the game-winner. Sophomore catcher Hunter Carns<\/a> joined Stuetzer, Dowd and Putnam with a home run, a solo blast in the second inning that gave the Seminoles a 1-0 lead.
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\nDowd’s homer is his 10th of the year, Stuetzer and Putnam both their ninth and Carns’ was his fifth.
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\nJunior right-hander Chris Knier<\/a> earned the win. He retired all six batters he faced, with five strikeouts in 2.0 innings. He followed redshirt junior lefty Kevin Mebil<\/a>, who did not allow a run in 3.0 innings. Mebil struck out three and gave up just one hit with no walks. Junior left-handed starter Wes Mendes<\/a> allowed four runs on eight hits with six strikeouts and no walks in 6.0 innings.
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\nWith tonight’s win, Florida State secured a double bye to the quarterfinals of the 2026 ACC Baseball Championship as a top-four seed.
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\nCarns led off the second inning with a home run over the wall in right to give Florida State a 1-0 lead.
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\nMendes started an inning-ending double play in the third. With runners on second and third and one out, Mendes caught a line drive, paused and threw to third to double off the runner.
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\nMiami took a 4-1 lead in the fourth inning. A three-run home run was followed by a run-scoring fielder’s choice.
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\nThe Seminoles put two on in each of the next two innings, but a flyout ended the fourth and a groundout ended the fifth before they could cut into the deficit. Mendes left a runner on in scoreless fifth and sixth innings.
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\nAgainst the bullpen in the seventh, Miami added two runs. A bases-loaded double play groundout scored the first before a single brought in the second run from third.
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\nMebil, who got the three outs in the seventh, retired the side in the eighth to lead into the Seminoles’ game-tying rally.
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\nWith one out in the eighth, Stuetzer and Dowd went back-to-back to cut the deficit to 6-3. Stuetzer’s shot to left off the scoreboard was on the first pitch, and Dowd’s blast to right was on a 3-1 pitch.
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\nMebil then retired the side in order in the top of the ninth to set up the game-tying bottom half.
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\nSophomore shortstop Gabe Fraser<\/a> led off the inning with a walk and took third on a Barrett single. He scored on McCulley’s sacrifice fly to make it 6-4. Putnam then came off the bench and launched the first pitch he saw to deep left field to tie the game at 6-6.
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\nKnier struck out two in a perfect 10th. The Seminoles had a hit and a walk in the 10th, but could not walk it off in the first extra inning. Knier then struck out the side in the 11th.
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\nIn the bottom half, Barrett singled, Putnam singled and Stuetzer was hit by a pitch to load the bases with two out. Dowd then drew the bases-loaded walk to score Barrett and win it for the Seminoles.
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\nThe series continues with game two on Friday at 6 p.m. ET. The regular season finale is on Saturday at 2 p.m. Tickets are available at Seminoles.com\/Tickets<\/a> 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.
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\nSenior Day is on Friday, as six seniors will be recognized on the field before the game. Saturday’s regular-season finale is Armed Forces Day presented by TOC. There will be a t-shirt giveaway while supplies last for early-arriving fans, a color guard during the national anthem, in-game military recognitions and the playing of God Bless America during the seventh inning stretch.
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\nAll three games will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra<\/a> (Friday<\/a> |Saturday<\/a>), accessible through your television provider or a subscription to ESPN+. Fans can listen to every game via the Seminole Sports Network on WFLA 100.7 FM. Each game also is available around the world on the Seminoles Unconquered App<\/a> and Seminoles.com<\/a>. Live stats are at FSU.Statbroadcast.com<\/a> (Friday<\/a> |Saturday<\/a>). Direct links to watch, listen and follow along can be found on the schedule page at Seminoles.com\/Baseball<\/a>. News, notes and behind-the-scenes updates all weekend are available by following and connecting with the team on social media on Twitter\/X<\/a> and Facebook<\/a> (@FSUBaseball) and Instagram<\/a> (@NoleBaseball).
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\nFor more information on Florida State baseball, check Seminoles.com for the latest news and scheduling information, and keep up with the team on social media through Twitter\/X<\/a> and Facebook<\/a> (@FSUBaseball) & Instagram<\/a> (@NoleBaseball).
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