No. 14 Florida State baseball needed a spark on Sunday, and it came in the form of head coach Link Jarrett's unexpected ejection—a moment that turned controversy into fuel for a thrilling comeback.
After Jarrett was tossed in the fifth inning for arguing a contentious interference call on a Pittsburgh double play, the Seminoles dugout erupted with energy. That fire carried them to a 6-4 victory over Pittsburgh (28-18, 10-14 ACC) at Dick Howser Stadium, securing their sixth series sweep of the season and third within the conference. With the win, Florida State improved to 32-14 overall and 14-9 in ACC play.
The game didn't start in FSU's favor. The Seminoles looked sluggish early, especially on defense, and Pittsburgh capitalized by jumping out to a 4-1 lead by the bottom of the fourth inning. Florida State struggled to find any rhythm, scratching across single runs in back-to-back innings to slowly chip away at the deficit.
Then came the turning point. Jarrett's ejection over the interference call sparked something in his team. In the sixth inning, Carter McCulley led off with a solo homer to center field, capping a stellar 3-for-3 day at the plate. Brody DeLamielleure followed with an RBI triple, and Hunter Carnes drove in the go-ahead run with an infield single as the Seminoles seized control of the game.
John Stuetzer contributed two RBIs—one on a groundout in the second inning and another on a single in the fourth. Eli Putnam added an RBI single earlier in the game, pulling Florida State within two runs and setting the stage for the late rally.
After a rocky start, FSU's pitching staff locked in. Pittsburgh was held scoreless for the final five innings following their fourth run in the fourth. Bryson Moore worked 3 1/3 innings before Payton Nanca bridged the middle frames. Chris Knier took over in the sixth and closed out the game, earning his third win of the season.
With the sweep complete, the Seminoles have two ACC series remaining before the conference tournament. Next up: a three-game road trip to Clemson, where they'll look to carry this momentum and keep their championship push alive.