Myles Bailey blasted a pair of home runs to lead Florida State baseball to an 11-5 win over North Carolina State, which tied the series against the Wolfpack at one win each.
Bailey and Brayden Dowd combined for three home runs and seven RBI for the Seminoles (18-4, 4-1 ACC) on Saturday, March 21. Both of Bailey’s home runs were over 400 feet, with the first inning blast tracked at 447 feet and his fifth inning solo shot clocked at 428 feet, and it’s his fifth career multi-home run game, and second of the year.
Dowd’s grand slam went 405 feet over the right field wall and was the highlight of a big sixth inning that changed the game. Chase Williams singled before a Will Bavaro walk and Cal Fisher single that loaded the bases with no outs. Dowd faced Collins Black, who replaced starter Jacob Dudan, and sent the third pitch he saw over the right field fence.
“With a new pitcher coming in, bases loaded, I just tried to remind myself in situations like that, the pressure is all on him. Bases loaded, no outs, that’s a big pressure moment for a pitcher to come into,” Dowd said of his grand slam.
“I was just looking for a fastball, something I could hit hard. I was on fastball, but I saw a curveball pop out of his hand. I was able to stay in there and adjust to it and swing on it, and obviously, fortunately, it went over the fence.”
Both Kelyvn Paulino Jr. and John Stuetzer hit RBI singles in the inning to put the Seminoles ahead 11-4 and firmly in control of the game.
Bailey has homered in four straight games and left the yard in seven of his last nine games. He leads the team with 31 RBI. His big day at the plate helped the Seminoles gain an early advantage against a strong arm in NC State’s Dudan, who threw 111 pitches in five innings.
“All the work and stuff I’ve put in off the field and all the stuff that the coaches bring to me, I’m super confident,” Bailey said of his home run stretch.
Dudan had allowed just four walks in five appearances coming into the game, but FSU’s lineup worked four walks and tallied eight hits alongside eight earned runs, both season highs for Dudan.
The Seminoles jumped out to an early advantage thanks to Bailey’s two-run homer in the first inning. Despite NC State getting a run back in the top of the second, a Chase Williams RBI double in the bottom of the second inning put FSU ahead, 3-1, through three innings.
NC State made FSU’s starter, Trey Beard, throw 96 pitches in 3.2 innings, working multiple long at-bats that drove up his pitch count. He struck out seven in his start and allowed four runs, though only one was earned. An error from Cal Fisher in the fourth inning resulted in three unearned runs coming across the plate, ending Beard’s outing and giving NC State a 4-3 lead.
Fisher tied the game in the home half of the fourth inning with a grounder that was deep enough to score Stuetzer from third base. Bailey’s fifth-inning home run gave the Seminoles the lead, 5-4, before the six-run sixth broke the game open.
The Wolfpack got a run back, a solo home run from Ty Head. It was the only blemish on a strong relief outing for Brodie Purcell, who threw four innings of relief with five strikeouts and three hits. He replaced Chris Knier, who replaced Beard in the fourth inning and threw just over an inning of hitless relief work.
“Good ballgame, I know we separated a little bit in the sixth inning, but that’s a grinder,” FSU head coach Link Jarrett said. “I’ve been in six super regionals recently, and it’s got that feel. That’s a really good team.”
The Seminoles will face NC State in a rubber match on Sunday, with the first pitch set for 1 p.m.
How to watch FSU baseball vs. NC State
Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Myles Bailey blasts 2 HR’s as FSU baseball evens series with NC State
Reporting by Liam Rooney, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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