Mendes’ Shutout and Five Homers Help #20 FSU Run-Rule #12 Wake
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The No. 20 Florida State baseball team run-ruled No. 12 Wake Forest 10-0 in seven innings as junior left-handed starter Wes Mendes threw a complete-game two-hitter and the offense hit five home runs to begin ACC play on Friday night at David F. Couch Ballpark in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Mendes turned in one of the best starts of his career and allowed just two hits with 11 strikeouts and two walks in the complete-game shutout performance. He was backed up by a season-high five home runs from an offense that now has hit nine homers in the last three games.
The Seminoles (14-3, 1-0 ACC) opened conference play with a run-rule for the first time, and the conference-opening win is the team’s largest since a 15-3 triumph in nine innings to open the league slate vs. Maryland on March 7, 2014. The Demon Deacons (15-3, 3-1 ACC) suffered their first home defeat in 12 games this season and were held to fewer than four runs for the second time and first since Opening Day.
The 7.0 innings and 11 strikeouts for Mendes are both tied for the second-longest of his career. For the first time, Mendes did not allow a run in more than 5.1 innings pitched, and he also threw a complete game for the first time. Mendes walked just two and allowed four baserunners to reach all night with only one advancing to second base. The two hits allowed came in the first and seventh innings.
Mendes retired 10 in a row beginning with two outs in the third inning, a stretch that included six consecutive strikeouts and all three in the fifth. The junior southpaw threw exactly 100 pitches to improve to 5-0 on the season.
Meanwhile, Florida State’s offense hit five home runs, with two-run shots in the first and third innings, a leadoff homer in the fourth and back-to-back jacks to begin the fifth. Seven of the 10 runs came via the longball with a strong wind blowing out.
Redshirt senior second baseman Eli Putnam hit two home runs and had two hits, two RBI and two runs scored. Junior center fielder Brayden Dowd homered, led the team with three hits and added two RBI and two runs. Redshirt senior catcher Nathan Cmeyla and sophomore first baseman Myles Bailey also homered, as Cmeyla had two hits on the day and Bailey drove in a pair of runs.
With the series-opening victory, the Seminoles improve to 99-40 all-time against the Demon Deacons and 33-16 in Winston-Salem.
Florida State’s 10 runs came on 12 hits with no errors. Wake Forest was held to two hits with one error. FSU left nine runners on base and WF stranded three.
Bailey hit a two-run home run in the first inning to give the Seminoles an early 2-0 lead. The long ball to left was his team-leading seventh of the season.
Mendes allowed the leadoff batter to reach on an infield single, but Cmeyla threw him out at second for the second out of the inning, and a strikeout ended the first. Mendes retired the side in order in the second.
Dowd doubled the lead in the third with a two-out blast to right. His fourth home run of 2026 made it 4-0.
A two-out walk put a runner on in the bottom half, but Mendes got a flyout to end the inning and start his streak of 10 in a row retired.
Putnam led off the fourth with his first home run, to right-center. With two outs, redshirt sophomore right fielder Brody DeLamielleure singled in a pair after a double and two two-out walks loaded the bases. That extended the advantage to 7-0.
Cmeyla and Putnam went back-to-back to lead off the fifth to make it 9-0. It was Cmeyla’s first of the year and Putnam’s second of the day and third of the campaign. Putnam, who has 38 career home runs, now has eight career multi-homer games.
After a strikeout to end the fourth, Mendes struck out the side in the fifth and fanned the first two he faced in the sixth for six in a row.
Before those final two punch-outs, Putnam brought home one more in the top of the sixth, as Dowd scored to make it 10-0.
Mendes allowed his second hit of the day to lead off the seventh, and a walk put two on with no outs. However, a flyout on a 3-2 pitch was followed by a strikeout for the second out. A first-pitch flyout ended the game and finished Mendes’ seven-inning, complete-game shutout.
The series continues on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET. The finale will be broadcast live on ACC Network on Sunday at 3 p.m.
Sunday’s game on ACC Network will have Daron Vaught and Devon Travis on the call. Saturday will be streamed on ACC Network Extra, accessible through your television provider or a subscription to ESPN+. Fans can listen to every game via the Seminole Sports Network on WFLA 100.7 FM. Every game also is available around the world on the Seminoles Unconquered App and Seminoles.com. Live stats are at WakeForest.Statbroadcast.com (Saturday | Sunday). Direct links to watch, listen and follow along can be found on the schedule page at Seminoles.com/Baseball. News, notes and behind-the-scenes updates all weekend are available by following and connecting with the team on social media on Twitter/X and Facebook (@FSUBaseball) and Instagram (@NoleBaseball).
For more information on Florida State baseball, check Seminoles.com for the latest news and scheduling information, and keep up with the team on social media through Twitter/X and Facebook (@FSUBaseball) & Instagram (@NoleBaseball).
Mendes turned in one of the best starts of his career and allowed just two hits with 11 strikeouts and two walks in the complete-game shutout performance. He was backed up by a season-high five home runs from an offense that now has hit nine homers in the last three games.
The Seminoles (14-3, 1-0 ACC) opened conference play with a run-rule for the first time, and the conference-opening win is the team’s largest since a 15-3 triumph in nine innings to open the league slate vs. Maryland on March 7, 2014. The Demon Deacons (15-3, 3-1 ACC) suffered their first home defeat in 12 games this season and were held to fewer than four runs for the second time and first since Opening Day.
The 7.0 innings and 11 strikeouts for Mendes are both tied for the second-longest of his career. For the first time, Mendes did not allow a run in more than 5.1 innings pitched, and he also threw a complete game for the first time. Mendes walked just two and allowed four baserunners to reach all night with only one advancing to second base. The two hits allowed came in the first and seventh innings.
Mendes retired 10 in a row beginning with two outs in the third inning, a stretch that included six consecutive strikeouts and all three in the fifth. The junior southpaw threw exactly 100 pitches to improve to 5-0 on the season.
Meanwhile, Florida State’s offense hit five home runs, with two-run shots in the first and third innings, a leadoff homer in the fourth and back-to-back jacks to begin the fifth. Seven of the 10 runs came via the longball with a strong wind blowing out.
Redshirt senior second baseman Eli Putnam hit two home runs and had two hits, two RBI and two runs scored. Junior center fielder Brayden Dowd homered, led the team with three hits and added two RBI and two runs. Redshirt senior catcher Nathan Cmeyla and sophomore first baseman Myles Bailey also homered, as Cmeyla had two hits on the day and Bailey drove in a pair of runs.
With the series-opening victory, the Seminoles improve to 99-40 all-time against the Demon Deacons and 33-16 in Winston-Salem.
Florida State’s 10 runs came on 12 hits with no errors. Wake Forest was held to two hits with one error. FSU left nine runners on base and WF stranded three.
Bailey hit a two-run home run in the first inning to give the Seminoles an early 2-0 lead. The long ball to left was his team-leading seventh of the season.
Mendes allowed the leadoff batter to reach on an infield single, but Cmeyla threw him out at second for the second out of the inning, and a strikeout ended the first. Mendes retired the side in order in the second.
Dowd doubled the lead in the third with a two-out blast to right. His fourth home run of 2026 made it 4-0.
A two-out walk put a runner on in the bottom half, but Mendes got a flyout to end the inning and start his streak of 10 in a row retired.
Putnam led off the fourth with his first home run, to right-center. With two outs, redshirt sophomore right fielder Brody DeLamielleure singled in a pair after a double and two two-out walks loaded the bases. That extended the advantage to 7-0.
Cmeyla and Putnam went back-to-back to lead off the fifth to make it 9-0. It was Cmeyla’s first of the year and Putnam’s second of the day and third of the campaign. Putnam, who has 38 career home runs, now has eight career multi-homer games.
After a strikeout to end the fourth, Mendes struck out the side in the fifth and fanned the first two he faced in the sixth for six in a row.
Before those final two punch-outs, Putnam brought home one more in the top of the sixth, as Dowd scored to make it 10-0.
Mendes allowed his second hit of the day to lead off the seventh, and a walk put two on with no outs. However, a flyout on a 3-2 pitch was followed by a strikeout for the second out. A first-pitch flyout ended the game and finished Mendes’ seven-inning, complete-game shutout.
The series continues on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET. The finale will be broadcast live on ACC Network on Sunday at 3 p.m.
Sunday’s game on ACC Network will have Daron Vaught and Devon Travis on the call. Saturday will be streamed on ACC Network Extra, accessible through your television provider or a subscription to ESPN+. Fans can listen to every game via the Seminole Sports Network on WFLA 100.7 FM. Every game also is available around the world on the Seminoles Unconquered App and Seminoles.com. Live stats are at WakeForest.Statbroadcast.com (Saturday | Sunday). Direct links to watch, listen and follow along can be found on the schedule page at Seminoles.com/Baseball. News, notes and behind-the-scenes updates all weekend are available by following and connecting with the team on social media on Twitter/X and Facebook (@FSUBaseball) and Instagram (@NoleBaseball).
For more information on Florida State baseball, check Seminoles.com for the latest news and scheduling information, and keep up with the team on social media through Twitter/X and Facebook (@FSUBaseball) & Instagram (@NoleBaseball).
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