02-14-2003, 10:29 PM
Noles open at Howser with a win over Evansville
by Drew Hankin
A little home-cooking was all it took to awaken the Florida State bats which came into the game with Evansville hitting a paltry .240. Eighteen hits and thirteen runs later, that average is now up to .272. Stephen Drew led the team with four hits but Tony McQuade, Tony Richie, Eddy Martinez-Esteve, Chris Hart, and Aaron Cheesman also had multiple hit days. Cheesman, who started the game at DH blasted his first career homerun for the Noles in the fourth inning
The Seminole pitching also improved their already low ERA with a fine six inning performance from Matt Lynch (3-0) who gave up six hits and only two runs while striking out six Purple Ace batters. Four other FSU pitchers -Kevin Lynch, Daniel Davidson, Eddie Cannon, and Daniel Hodges combined to keep Evansville hitless through the final three innings of the game.
Florida State came out swinging in the bottom of the first inning when Drew singled, stole second, and advanced to third on a fielder's choice
before scoring on a single to center by Richie. An inning later, the Noles kept it going when Hart drew a walk and moved to second on a Cheesman single before Drew tripled them home to give FSU a 3-0 lead. McQuade then made it 4-0 with a single to right that brought home Drew.
After a scoreless third inning - the only one of the day, the Purple Aces finally got on the scoreboard with homerun that bounced off the roof of the new field/storage shed by rightfielder, Luke Miller. FSU got that run right back in the bottom off of Cheesman's surprising shot that went down the leftfield line.
In the bottom of the fifth, Matt Sauls picked up an RBI when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to score Jerrod Brown from third. Evansville shot back with a solo homerun off the field/storage shed again, this time by leftfielder, Anthony Albano. Once again, the Seminoles got right back in the bottom of the inning when Drew reached on an infield single, moved to second on an errant pickoff throw, and to third on a wild pitch before scoring on a single up the middle by Richie.
Chris Hart led off the seventh frame with an infield single before moving to second on a balk, before scoring on a Kevin Richmond single to right. Drew then singled to right and took second on the throw when Richmond was tagged out at third. McQuade singled home Drew and then moved to second when Danny Wardell was hit by a pitch before Richie drew a walk to load the bases. Brown, who had a batting average of over .820 last season with the bases juiced, then singled in McQuade and Wardell
to make it an 11-2 game.
FSU tacked on two more runs in the eighth when Sauls and Richmond both walked and moved up on a wild pitch. Drew then walked to load the bases
before McQuade hit a grounder to firstbase to score Sauls. The final run of the game scored on an infield single by Wardell that put the Seminoles ahead 13-2.
The Florida State improved to 6-1 with the win while the Aces fell to 0-1 on the season. Game two will take place at 2:00 on Saturday afternoon with Mark Sauls (1-0 2.16) on the mound for the Noles.
Section B Online Player of the Game:
Stephen Drew (4-5, 3B, 2 RBI, 4 R, 1 BB)
by Drew Hankin
A little home-cooking was all it took to awaken the Florida State bats which came into the game with Evansville hitting a paltry .240. Eighteen hits and thirteen runs later, that average is now up to .272. Stephen Drew led the team with four hits but Tony McQuade, Tony Richie, Eddy Martinez-Esteve, Chris Hart, and Aaron Cheesman also had multiple hit days. Cheesman, who started the game at DH blasted his first career homerun for the Noles in the fourth inning
The Seminole pitching also improved their already low ERA with a fine six inning performance from Matt Lynch (3-0) who gave up six hits and only two runs while striking out six Purple Ace batters. Four other FSU pitchers -Kevin Lynch, Daniel Davidson, Eddie Cannon, and Daniel Hodges combined to keep Evansville hitless through the final three innings of the game.
Florida State came out swinging in the bottom of the first inning when Drew singled, stole second, and advanced to third on a fielder's choice
before scoring on a single to center by Richie. An inning later, the Noles kept it going when Hart drew a walk and moved to second on a Cheesman single before Drew tripled them home to give FSU a 3-0 lead. McQuade then made it 4-0 with a single to right that brought home Drew.
After a scoreless third inning - the only one of the day, the Purple Aces finally got on the scoreboard with homerun that bounced off the roof of the new field/storage shed by rightfielder, Luke Miller. FSU got that run right back in the bottom off of Cheesman's surprising shot that went down the leftfield line.
In the bottom of the fifth, Matt Sauls picked up an RBI when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to score Jerrod Brown from third. Evansville shot back with a solo homerun off the field/storage shed again, this time by leftfielder, Anthony Albano. Once again, the Seminoles got right back in the bottom of the inning when Drew reached on an infield single, moved to second on an errant pickoff throw, and to third on a wild pitch before scoring on a single up the middle by Richie.
Chris Hart led off the seventh frame with an infield single before moving to second on a balk, before scoring on a Kevin Richmond single to right. Drew then singled to right and took second on the throw when Richmond was tagged out at third. McQuade singled home Drew and then moved to second when Danny Wardell was hit by a pitch before Richie drew a walk to load the bases. Brown, who had a batting average of over .820 last season with the bases juiced, then singled in McQuade and Wardell
to make it an 11-2 game.
FSU tacked on two more runs in the eighth when Sauls and Richmond both walked and moved up on a wild pitch. Drew then walked to load the bases
before McQuade hit a grounder to firstbase to score Sauls. The final run of the game scored on an infield single by Wardell that put the Seminoles ahead 13-2.
The Florida State improved to 6-1 with the win while the Aces fell to 0-1 on the season. Game two will take place at 2:00 on Saturday afternoon with Mark Sauls (1-0 2.16) on the mound for the Noles.
Section B Online Player of the Game:
Stephen Drew (4-5, 3B, 2 RBI, 4 R, 1 BB)
