FSU Baseball Edges Duke in Pitchers' Duel

Seminoles' Mendes strikes out 12 in 6.2 scoreless innings

Mar. 28, 2026 at 12:49am

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No. 10 Florida State baseball opened its series against Duke with a 3-1 win on Friday night. Seminoles starter Wes Mendes tossed 6.2 scoreless innings, striking out a career-high 12 batters, to earn his sixth win of the season. John Abraham picked up the save for FSU, which scored three runs on four hits.

Why it matters

This was an important ACC matchup between two ranked teams. The Seminoles improved to 20-5 overall and 6-1 in conference play, while Duke dropped to 17-11 and 4-6 in the ACC. The pitching duel showcased the depth of both teams' rotations.

The details

Mendes was dominant, allowing just four hits and one walk while striking out 12. He retired the first eight batters he faced and stranded runners on third base in the first, second, and fifth innings. Abraham came on in relief and recorded the save, though he did allow Duke's lone run in the eighth inning. The Seminoles scored single runs in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings to secure the victory.

  • Mendes struck out a career-high 12 batters over 6.2 innings.
  • Abraham recorded his third save of the season with 2.1 innings of relief.

The players

Wes Mendes

Florida State starting pitcher who earned the win with 6.2 scoreless innings, allowing just four hits and one walk while striking out 12 batters.

John Abraham

Florida State relief pitcher who recorded the save, allowing one run over 2.1 innings with four strikeouts.

Aidan Weaver

Duke starting pitcher who struck out a career-high 11 batters over 5.2 innings, allowing two runs on four hits and four walks.

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What they’re saying

“Wes Mendes was outstanding tonight, and our offense did just enough to get the win. It was a hard-fought game between two good teams.”

— Mike Martin Jr., Florida State Head Coach

What’s next

The two teams will meet again on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. ET, with the game televised on ACC Network. Florida State will start right-hander Jack Hedrick, while Duke is expected to counter with left-hander Trey Beard.

The takeaway

This was a classic ACC pitchers' duel that showcased the depth of both teams' rotations. Florida State's Wes Mendes was dominant, and the Seminoles' offense did just enough to secure the victory and maintain their position atop the conference standings.