OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Connor Hults felt a whole lot better walking off the mound at the end of the game Tuesday than he did three days earlier.
Hults pitched 4 1/3 innings of shutout relief to thwart North Carolina’s comeback bid, and Jaxson West and Max Williams hit back-to-back homers in the ninth for insurance as Florida State beat the Tar Heels 9-5 in a College World Series elimination game.
The Seminoles (49-16) will play No. 1 national seed Tennessee on Wednesday afternoon. They would have to beat the Volunteers then and again Thursday to reach the finals for the first time since 1999.
“Can’t wait,” Seminoles coach Link Jarrett said.
FSU took a three-run lead into the bottom of the ninth against Tennessee in its CWS opener last Saturday. A check-swing call that didn’t go the Seminoles’ way — it would have ended the game if it had — and the single by Dylan Dreiling that followed produced a 12-11 walk-off win for the Volunteers.