FSU baseball (37-13, 17-10 ACC) avoided a series sweep at home against the North Carolina Tarheels with a gutsy 5-4 win in front of the Dick Howser faithful.
The win earned FSU a double-bye in the ACC Tournament next week and keeps their hopes of earning a top-eight seed alive.
Myles Bailey got the Noles on the board in the first inning with a three-run monster home run to right field. However, the FSU bats would go dormant for the next few innings, wasting a few scoring opportunities. North Carolina took advantage of some misplays on defense and walks to tie the game with a monster two-run home run to right field in the top of the seventh.
FSU starting pitcher Wes Mendes likely could have gotten through the seventh inning, but Myles Bailey dropped a pop-up in foul territory near the dugout that cost him an out. He walked that batter, and Peyton Prescott got behind on the first batter he faced 2-0 and gave up a monster home run to tie it.
Prescott allowed a solo home run in the top of the eighth to give North Carolina a 4-3 lead. The Noles would fight back in the bottom frame. James Hankerson led off with a single and Jaxson West bunted pinch runner BJ Gibson over to second. North Carolina elected to intentionally walk Alex Lodise after Gage Harrelson grounded out and Gibson moved to third base.
Max Williams laced a line drive to right field to score Gibson, setting the stage for Myles Bailey to deliver the eventual game-winning hit up the middle to score Lodise. Bailey finished the game 2-3 with four RBI and two walks. Max Williams went 3-5 with an RBI.
John Abraham struck out the first batter in the ninth before walking the second guy and striking out the next two to give the Noles the much-needed win.
It was a gutsy performance by Wes Mendes, pitching 6.1 innings in a game FSU needed to win. The Noles await to see who they'll face first in the ACC Tournament.