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Florida State Overpowers Oklahoma, 23-2
Seminoles advance to NCAA Atlantic II Regional Championship game.
Diaz Leads Noles<br>with 4 HR's

Diaz Leads Noles
with 4 HR's

May 23, 1998

TALLAHASSEE, FL -- Rightfielder Matt Diaz drove in a career-high seven runs on five hits and belted four of his team's eight home runs as he led Florida State (52-18) to a 23-2 victory over Oklahoma (42-19) to advance to the NCAA Atlantic II Regional championship game.

Diaz tied the Florida State and NCAA Regional record for home runs in a single game. FSU's 24 hits today are also a season-high.

Centerfielder Brian Cox also contributed to the Seminoles' slugfest with three hits and five RBI, including a solo home run in the second inning and three-run shot to centerfield in the fifth inning. Cox is riding a 22-game hitting streak. With his home run in the second inning, Cox set a new Florida State record with 10 consecutive hits.

Left-hander Wes Crawford (9-3) held the Sooners to one run on four hits in seven innings pitched for FSU. Crawford stuck our five batters and walked two in the win for the Seminoles.

FSU jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first inning sparked by a three-run home run by designated hitter Terry Henderson and two-run shot by leftfielder Karl Jernigan.

Oklahoma first baseman Casey Bookout ripped a solo home run in the fourth inning for the Sooners.

Sooners' Jared Hoerman (7-5) surrendered six runs on five hits in one inning pitched in the loss for Oklahoma.

The Seminoles wlll play in the championship game tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. FSU's opponent will be determined in tonight's game at 7:00 p.m. 

FSU  630 071 402   23 24  0
OKLA 000 100 001    2  8  3


E-Bookout, Hart, Vidales.
DP-FSU 1.  LOB-FSU 7, Oklahoma 6.
2B-Cash (15), Groves (18), Salazar (18), 
    Vidales (2).
HR-Cox 2 (18), M. Diaz 4 (21), Henderson (4), 
    Jernigan (5), Bookout (25).

FLORIDA STATE NOTES OF INTEREST
FSU's 50 runs in consecutive games vs. Delaware (27) and Oklahoma (23) sets a new NCAA Regional record. The previous record of 49 was set by Southern California in 1990.
FSU's 60 runs in through three games of this year's regional is the most an FSU team has ever scored in a regional. The Seminoles current run pae (20 per game) would break Arizona State's NCAA Regional record of 16.4 runs per game (82 in five games) set in 1978.
Matt Diaz' 21 home runs this season ties him for 10th on the FSU single-season home run list. It is also the most home runs by a freshman in Florida State history.
Matt Diaz is batting .786 (11-for-14) with seven home runs, 13 RBI, nine extra basehits and 11 runs scored. Brian Cox set a new FSU record for consecutive hits with 10. (Two ending the Liberty game, six vs. Delaware, two to start the Oklahoma game).
Florida State has hit 17 home runs in this regional including seven by Matt Diaz, four by Brian Cox and two by Jeremy Salazar.
FSU has had 29 extra basehits in this regional (17 HR, 12 doubles). As a team, FSU is hitting .455 (60-for-132) with 60 runs scored and 57 RBI.

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