Florida State baseball made a loud and clear statement Friday night in Winston-Salem. Coming off a tough midweek loss to rival Florida, the Noles traveled to David F. Couch Ballpark and run-ruled No. 12 Wake Forest, 10-0, in the opening game of ACC play. Five home runs, 12 hits, and a masterpiece on the mound. That’s how you announce yourself as a contender in the conference.
Wes Mendes was the story from first pitch to last. The left-hander went the full seven innings, allowing just two hits and zero runs while striking out 11 Demon Deacons on only 100 pitches. Eleven strikeouts. Against a Wake Forest lineup that came in at 15-2 on the season. This was his second consecutive double-digit strikeout game. Mendes now sits at 4-0 on the year with a stellar 0.83 ERA. Wes had big shoes to fill in the absence of Jamie Arnold, but so far, he’s risen to the challenge and looked every bit of a Friday night ace.
The Long Ball Was Flying
The Noles didn’t waste any time getting to work. In the top of the first, Noah Sheffield reached on a throwing error by Wake Forest third baseman Dalton Wentz, and Myles Bailey immediately made them pay, launching a two-run shot to deep left field, his seventh of the season, to put FSU on the board early. That set the tone for the entire evening.
Brayden Dowd had himself a night, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored, two RBI, a double, and a home run. His fourth-inning blast to deep right field with Brody DeLamielleure aboard pushed the lead to 7-0. Eli Putnam was equally dangerous, going 2-for-4 with two home runs (both off Wake starter Blake Morningstar), giving him three on the season and making it feel like the Noles were teeing off in batting practice by the fifth inning.
Nathan Cmeyla added his first home run of the season, a solo shot to deep center in the fifth that pushed the lead to nine. By that point, Morningstar was done for the night, having surrendered nine hits and nine runs (eight earned) across four innings. He had only given up three home runs the entire season, and the Noles lit him up for five in four innings. Wake burned through two more pitchers trying to stop the bleeding.
A Statement Win, and a Word About the RISP
Here’s the one thing I’ll note, because we always want to be honest: FSU went just 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position. That number looks ugly on paper, and in a tighter game, it would absolutely be a concern. But the power game bailed them out completely, with five home runs and a two-run single from DeLamielleure in the fourth doing the heavy lifting. Brody was excellent with two outs, driving in two big runs with that bases-loaded single up the middle.
The RISP struggles have been a thread we’ve been watching all season (they went 2-8 vs UF and 5-31 in the Citadel series). Friday’s outcome was never in doubt, but over the course of the ACC slate, the Noles will need to cash in more of those opportunities.
Final Thoughts
Let’s not gloss over the timing here. The Noles dropped a midweek game to a reeling Florida team and headed into ACC play needing to respond. Wake Forest came in at 15-2 and ranked No. 12 nationally. This wasn’t a tune-up — this was a test.
FSU passed it with flying colors. Moving to 14-3 on the season and 1-0 in conference play, this performance looks like exactly what the preseason hype suggested: a legitimate ACC contender with a rotation anchor in Mendes and an offense capable of going deep on any pitcher on any given night.
Now, we just need to see it consistently. But after the way the Arlington series went down, this was a sigh of relief. Before we get too excited, there is still work to do. FSU claimed game one against the Deacs last year and then proceeded to get their doors blown off in the final two games.
The Noles have a chance to clinch their first ACC series of the season tomorrow at 4 p.m. back at David F. Couch Ballpark. After the way Mendes set the table Friday night, expect the team to be loose and the bats ready to go again. Trey Beard will tow the rubber for game two and looks to take the torch from Mendes and shut down the Deacs’ offense.
Come get that series, Noles.
Thanks for reading and Go Noles!