Wes Mendes tosses a gem as FSU baseball wins pitchers duel over Duke
Wes Mendes and Florida State baseball outdueled Duke on Friday night, winning 3-1 behind 12 strikeouts from Mendes.
Florida State baseball and Duke turned Dick Howser Stadium into a pitching clinic on Friday night, with the Seminoles Wes Mendes and the Blue Devils Aidan Weaver both tossing gems in a 3-1 win for FSU. Both pitchers racked up double-digit strikeouts, with Mendes notching 12, which equaled his career high . It's his third outing this season for the No.
10 Seminoles (20-5, 6-1 ACC) with double-digit punchouts, and the third in his last four outings. Weaver struck out a career-high 11 batters, walked four, and allowed four hits and two runs in 5. 2 innings of work for Duke.
He had been almost unhittable through five innings, with just one FSU hit on the board, but a sixth-inning leadoff double from Myles Bailey that was a few feet away from leaving the yard provided the Seminoles with an opening. After a wild pitch moved Bailey to third base, Kelvyn Paulino Jr. hit a single back up the middle of the infield that scored the game's first run.
He was retired when Hunter Carns reached on a fielder's choice. A wild pitch moved Carns to second base, and Chase Williams brought him home with a two-out single that pushed FSU ahead 2-0. The runs were crucial, with Duke threatening to even the score in the eighth inning.