OMAHA, Neb. — A loss much tougher than a one-run heartbreaker once again made Virginia’s stay at the College World Series the shortest of any team.
Florida State began flexing its hitting prowess in the third inning Sunday before putting together a four-run fifth inning to pull away for a 7-3 win over the Cavaliers. The loss made Virginia (46-17) the first team to be knocked out of the eight-team, double-elimination tournament for the second consecutive season.
Virginia also was in Bracket One of the 2023 CWS, where the Hoos lost 6-5 to Florida before a 4-3 setback to TCU in an elimination game. The Cavaliers are now 13-14 with one national championship (2015) in seven trips to the CWS.
Both of the Cavaliers’ losses in the 77th edition of the CWS were to ACC rivals: North Carolina (by a 3-2 score) and FSU. The Seminoles (48-16) advanced to play at 2 p.m. Tuesday against the loser of Sunday night’s UNC-Tennessee winners-bracket game.
Virginia now has lost its last six CWS games, a streak that dates to 2021. Four of those losses were by one run, including the most recent three prior to Sunday’s setback.
“We’re disappointed that we didn’t win today and have an opportunity to advance,” Cavaliers coach Brian O’Connor said. “The inning where they scored four runs, there were two outs and nobody was on. We didn’t make a catch in right field, and they opened it up. They were very, very opportunistic.
“We had our chances, and sometimes we capitalized on it. But we just didn’t capitalize on it enough.”
Three home runs — including two by left fielder Jaime Ferrer — led Florida State’s mid-game power surge. Single runs in the third, fourth and sixth innings surrounded that four-run fifth as FSU’s sluggers collected all seven of their hits in those middle four innings.
Those four frames helped the Seminoles overcome being set down in order in the first, second, seventh and eighth innings.
“To watch these guys play their best game of the season today was a thrill I’ll never forget here,” FSU coach Link Jarrett said. “That was beyond any experience I’ve had here. When you’re in this, it doesn’t always tee itself up for you to just go and respond. You have to execute in every phase of the game.”
The game got off to a good start for Virginia as starting pitcher Jay Woolfolk retired the first seven batters he faced — three by strikeout, three flyouts to center field and another fly ball to left field. But the last two of those flyouts were tagged hard by FSU hitters.
It took a spectacular grab by UVA center fielder Griff O’Ferrall to keep Seminoles off the scoreboard in the bottom of the second. O’Ferrall timed his jump perfectly to bring a blast by FSU first baseman Daniel Cantu back into the field and keep the senior from collecting his ninth home run of the season.
The Seminoles had adjusted to Woolfolk’s offerings early in the third inning. After that flyout to left by Alex Lodise, FSU second baseman Drew Farout hit a two-out ground-ball single between first and second base.
With two outs, center fielder Max Williams hit a bloop single to left field that moved Farout to second. Then back-to-back walks to Cam Smith and James Tibbs forced Farout home with the first run of the game.
Ferrer doubled FSU’s lead to 2-0 by putting Woolfolk’s first pitch of the fourth inning into the left-field seats. Woolfolk left the game after a one-out single by Lodise because of a knee injury. O’Connor called in Joe Savino from the bullpen to replace Woolfolk, who threw 61 pitches.
“I couldn’t tell you what really happened,” Woolfolk said. “Just like I said, a freak accident. I feel great now. I wish things would have turned out different.”
Everything that FSU produced in the pivotal fifth inning came with two outs. Smith led off with a double before Savino walked Tibbs. An RBI single by designated hitter Marco Dinges brought home Smith for a 3-0 lead.
Ferrer then stepped to the plate and clubbed his second home run in as many innings. This one was a three-run blast that doubled FSU’s lead to 6-0. Lodise led off the sixth inning with the Seminoles’ second first-pitch home run of the game.
The Cavaliers clawed back with three runs in the seventh and eighth innings. RBI singles by Henry Godbout and Casey Saucke scored Cox High graduate Ethan Anderson and Anthony Stephan, respectively. Stephan then doubled in the eighth inning to drive home Jacob Ference, who led off the inning with a single.
Stephan and O’Connor both credited FSU starting pitcher Carson Dorsey with a strong performance in his seven innings.
“I mean, as Coach O said, he was beating us with fastballs today, which isn’t very UVA-like,” Stephan said. “We take pride in our approach and work on it every day. I just saw command of three (pitches). Once you command three, it’s pretty tough at this level.”
While everyone in the UVA program was disappointed with how the weekend played out, O’Connor said there’s optimism for additional success in the near future.
“Yes, we didn’t win in Omaha,” O’Connor said. “We’re well aware of that. Although it doesn’t leave a good taste in our mouth, (it’s) more about what you have to navigate through the entire season to put yourself in the opportunity that they had.
“I don’t promise them Omaha. They can look at it and see the success that’s happened in this program, that there’s a really high-percentage chance that they’re going to have the opportunity to play in this great event. What I do promise them is that when they leave our baseball program, they will be men and they’ll be able to stand on their own two feet and fight for what they want in life.”
