In a surprising turn of events, No. 9 Florida State softball stumbled in the opening round of the NCAA tournament, falling to Stetson and landing in unfamiliar territory. The Seminoles now face an uphill battle in the losers bracket, where they'll await the winner of UCF or Jacksonville State.

Jazzy Francik took the circle for her 24th start of the season and first postseason appearance this year, opening strong with a shutdown first inning that included two strikeouts. Stetson's Hayley Arnold matched her early, retiring the Seminoles in order to start the game.

The Hatters struck first in the second inning, following a leadoff single with a two-run homer to grab the early advantage. Francik showed resilience, bouncing back with consecutive strikeouts and a pop-up to escape further damage.

Florida State answered immediately in the bottom half, as Anna Hinde launched a solo shot on the first pitch she saw. The Seminoles managed to get two more runners on base but ran themselves out of the inning, leaving the score at 2-1.

Stetson extended their lead in the third, loading the bases with a hit-by-pitch and a single. Despite a strikeout and sharp defensive play producing two outs, a three-run homer blew the game open for the Hatters. After surrendering two more baserunners, Ashtyn Danley entered in relief and needed just one pitch to end the inning.

With two outs in the bottom of the third, Jaysoni Beachum singled to keep the Seminoles alive. Danley then helped her own cause, crushing a two-run homer to cut the deficit to 5-3.

Stetson answered in the fourth, capitalizing on an error and a single to put runners in scoring position. A base hit up the middle scored both runners, pushing the Hatters' lead to 7-3.

Arnold kept the Seminoles at bay through the middle innings, allowing only a leadoff single and a two-out walk as Stetson clung to their four-run advantage. Danley's day ended in the sixth after surrendering a leadoff single, with Bella Dimitri taking over from the bullpen.

The Seminoles now face a must-win situation, needing to regroup quickly to keep their postseason hopes alive.