{"id":211033,"date":"2026-03-29T22:52:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-29T22:52:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/211033\/"},"modified":"2026-03-29T22:52:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-29T22:52:08","slug":"fsu-falls-to-duke-in-series-finale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/211033\/","title":{"rendered":"FSU Falls to Duke in Series Finale"},"content":{"rendered":"

TALLAHASSEE \u2013 The No. 10 Florida State baseball team lost the series finale to Duke 11-4 on Sunday afternoon at Dick Howser Stadium.
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\nThe Seminoles (21-6, 7-2 ACC), won the series with victories on Friday and Saturday, but could not earn their fifth sweep of the season against the Blue Devils (18-12, 5-7 ACC).
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\nDespite the defeat, FSU has won all three series to begin ACC play and all six weekend series to start the 2026 season. Florida State is off to a 7-2 start or better in the ACC in back-to-back years for the first time since a five-year stretch from 2012-16.
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\nOn Sunday, the Seminoles scored four runs on eight hits with no errors. Duke’s 11 runs came on 12 hits with three errors. Both teams left 10 runners on base.
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\nRedshirt senior first baseman Eli Putnam<\/a> led the team with two hits and scored a run, while sophomore catcher Hunter Carns<\/a> had a hit and an RBI.
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\nOn the mound, junior left-handed starter Bryson Moore<\/a> suffered his first loss of the season and is 4-1 in 2026. Junior righty Jake Echols<\/a> pitched 2.0 no-hit innings in relief and struck out three with no walks.
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\nDuke took a 2-0 lead in the second inning on an RBI single. Moore struck out two in the third before the Blue Devils made it 7-0 in the fourth, on a run-scoring single followed by a two-out grand slam.
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\nFSU put two on in the bottom of the fourth, on a fielding error and a single for its first hit of the game. However, a popup ended the inning.
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\nA bases-loaded walk made it 8-0 in the fifth, and sophomore right-hander Cade O’Leary<\/a> pitched a 1-2-3 sixth after getting the last out of the fifth.
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\nFlorida State scored its first run in the bottom of the sixth, as sophomore catcher Hunter Carns<\/a> doubled home junior center fielder Brayden Dowd<\/a>. That made it 8-1, and both teams added a run in the seventh to make it 9-2. Duke’s score came on a sacrifice fly and FSU’s was on a fielder’s choice by freshman left fielder John Stuetzer<\/a> that plated senior shortstop Carter McCulley<\/a>.
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\nThe Seminoles made it 9-3 in the eighth on a sacrifice fly by junior second baseman Cal Fisher<\/a>.
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\nThe Blue Devils answered with two runs in the top of the ninth to extend the lead to 11-3. A run-scoring wild pitch brought in freshman designated hitter Kelvyn Paulino Jr.<\/a>, who tripled, in the bottom half for the 11-4 final.
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\nFlorida State is on the road for its next four games, beginning at Stetson on Tuesday, March 31, at 6:30 p.m. ET. FSU then heads to Virginia from April 2-4.
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\nFor 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<\/a> and Facebook<\/a> (@FSUBaseball) & Instagram<\/a> (@NoleBaseball).
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