FSU Rallies From Early Deficit to Beat Jacksonville

Seminoles overcome 5-run first inning to win 7-6 in comeback victory

Published on Mar. 4, 2026

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Florida State University's baseball team overcame a disastrous first inning, where they fell behind 5-0 to Jacksonville, to rally and win 7-6 in a wild midweek matchup. The Seminoles' bullpen pitched 8.2 strong innings, allowing just 1 earned run and striking out 12, to pave the way for the comeback victory.

Why it matters

The win helps Florida State bounce back after a tough start to the season and keeps their momentum going after a weekend sweep of The Citadel. The resilience shown by the Seminoles in this game could be a sign of good things to come as they look to make a push up the rankings and into the NCAA Tournament.

The details

Jacksonville jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning, chasing FSU starter Rhett Vaughn after just 0.1 innings. But the Seminoles responded with 3 runs in the bottom of the first to make it 5-3. The teams traded runs over the next few innings before FSU tied it at 5-5 in the 3rd on a solo home run by Brody DeLamielleure. The game remained tied until the 7th when Jacksonville took a 6-5 lead, but FSU answered with a run in the bottom of the 8th to tie it again. In the 9th, John Stuetzer led off with a double and came around to score the winning run on a walk-off single by Eli Putnam.

  • The first pitch of the game resulted in a solo home run by Jacksonville's Cade Walter.
  • Florida State scored 3 runs in the bottom of the 1st inning to make it 5-3.
  • Brody DeLamielleure hit a solo home run in the 3rd inning to tie the game at 5-5.
  • Jacksonville took a 6-5 lead in the top of the 7th inning.
  • Florida State scored the tying run in the bottom of the 8th inning.

The players

Rhett Vaughn

The Florida State starting pitcher who was chased after just 0.1 innings, giving up 5 runs on 6 hits.

Kevin Mebil

The Florida State relief pitcher who came in and pitched 2.2 scoreless innings to keep the Seminoles in the game.

Brody DeLamielleure

The Florida State infielder who hit a solo home run in the 3rd inning to tie the game at 5-5.

Eli Putnam

The Florida State infielder who hit the walk-off single in the 9th inning to win the game for the Seminoles.

John Stuetzer

The Florida State outfielder who led off the 9th inning with a double and came around to score the winning run.

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What they’re saying

“This was a huge win for us after a tough start. The bullpen really stepped up and our hitters showed a lot of fight to come back from an early deficit.”

— Mike Martin Jr., Florida State Head Coach (tomahawknation.com)

What’s next

Florida State will look to continue their momentum when they host Mercer on Wednesday at 5 PM EST.

The takeaway

Florida State's ability to rally from a big early deficit and win a close game against a tough opponent shows the resilience and fight of this Seminoles team. Their strong bullpen performance and timely hitting were key to the comeback victory.