No. 5 FSU squanders lead, late chances in brutal loss at No. 3 Georgia Tech
FSU baseball pitcher John Abraham at Georgia Tech In the opener of the top-five series between No. 5 Florida State and No. 3 Georgia Tech in Atlanta, the Seminoles had the Yellow Jackets right where they wanted them.
Possessing a lead and turning the ball over from Wes Mendes to John Abraham, a formula that has led to a great deal of Friday success this season. This time, though, it failed as the Yellow Jackets plated three runs in the bottom of the sixth to rally for a 4-3 victory at Russ Chandler Stadium. FSU gambled by sending Mendes out for the sixth inning at 99 pitches.
He recorded one out before allowing two baserunners. Georgia Tech’s potent offense didn’t square up Abraham, mind you. They tied the game with a balk, a weakly hit infield single and a wild pitch.
The winning run came on a bloop single from Drew Burress into shallow right, an unlucky beat against a defense playing a slugger deep in the outfield. Abraham, who entered with a 4-0 record and 0. 69 ERA, took his first loss of the season.
And the Seminoles squandered an opportunity for what could have been a very impressive series-opening victory. FSU had prime chances in both the eighth and ninth. It came up empty on a leadoff Brayden Dowd double in the eighth.