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Florida State Athletics | June 21, 2017

Florida State ready for CWS rematch with LSU

Florida State is ready to take on the LSU Tigers for the second time in less than a week at the CWS.

OMAHA, Neb. – No one on Florida State's baseball team is too particular about who they play at this time of year.

The Seminoles are still in Omaha, which means (1) their season is still going on in late June and (2) any team they might match up against will be one of the best in the country.

Still, as LSU met Oregon State on Monday night to determine who advanced to Friday's bracket final and who met FSU in an elimination game on Wednesday, the Seminoles couldn't help but wish for a rematch with the Tigers.

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Wish granted.

Top-ranked Oregon State hammered No. 4 LSU, 13-1, to set up Round 2 between the Seminoles and Tigers.

Florida State's Matt Henderson (24) and LSU's Kramer Robertson (3) will meet for the second time in a week.
And given the way the first meeting ended, with FSU committing several fielding errors that helped hand LSU a 5-4 victory, the Seminoles are looking forward to a chance at redemption. And, of course, a chance to advance.

“Definitely we want to get another crack at them," junior third baseman Dylan Busby said. "We have some unfinished business.”

Aided by Busby's towering, two-run home run early in Saturday's game, the Seminoles led LSU for 7 ½ innings before letting it slip away in the bottom of the eighth.

LSU tied the game on a play in which the Seminoles made three errors, then took the lead on a soft ground ball that scored a runner from third.

It was a frustrating result, but one that also carried a little bit of promise: Eliminate the missteps, and the Seminoles like their chances.

“I think we're looking forward to playing better,” FSU coach Mike Martin said. “Every game you run into different situations, and I think our guys are looking forward to competing, whether we had won the game or the fact that we lost the game.”

Martin also said that either Cole Sands (6-3, 5.05 ERA) or Andrew Karp (2-3, 4.87) will pitch for the Seminoles. LSU coach Paul Mainieri confirmed Monday that he'll start Jared Poche' (11-3, 3.33). Poche' threw 30 pitches and earned a win in 2 2/3 innings of relief against FSU on Saturday.

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