Florida State baseball's bullpen issues culminated in a 17-2 run-rule loss to Wake Forest on Sunday.
The defeat handed the No. 4 FSU (25-6) its first ACC series loss of the season and second consecutive run-rule loss. After the 5-4 walk-off win from Max Williams on Friday, the Seminoles were outscored 29-2 in the two weekend games.
The Seminoles led 2-0 early but left six runners on base in the first three innings, something which proved costly in the fourth.
Wes Mendes started for the Seminoles, and he struggled with four innings pitched, five walks, three strikeouts and seven earned runs on five hits.
He hadn't allowed a run going into the top of the fourth. That quickly changed after a leadoff double was followed by a two-run home run from Dalton Wentz, his third of the series and fifth of the year.
Mendes would bounce back with two quick outs before he issued a 3-2, two-out walk that set up another two-run home run, this time from Cam Nelson.
His performance opened a door that Wake Forest kicked down with struggles from FSU's bullpen. None of Peyton Presscot, John Abraham or Chris Knier could cool down the Demon Deacons lineup, which allowed for the football score to be posted.
![Florida St. pitcher John Abraham (19) pitches during the second inning of an NCAA college baseball matchup Tuesday, March 25, 2025 at VyStar Ballpark in Jacksonville, Fla. FSU rallied to defeat UF 8-4 off a walk-off grand slam from Alex Lodise in the ninth inning. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]](https://media.zenfs.com/en/tallahassee-democrat/a3a3b4631705decabc0fc5fc1a768fde)
The Seminoles relievers allowed 10 runs to score, seven of them earned, on 11 hits in the final three innings of play.
Wake Forest hit seven singles that scored runs, with one run scored on an error in the fifth inning. Of the seven runs in the fifth inning, five were scored with two outs as the Seminoles were unable to get out of trouble.
There was little production at the plate from the Seminoles after the fourth inning, with only two hits recorded. In total, eight runners were left on base for FSU.
What's next for FSU baseball?
FSU at Florida
When: Tuesday, April 8 / 7 p.m.
Where: Condron Family Ballpark / Gainesville, Fla.
Watch/Listen: ESPN 2 / WFLA 100.7 FM
FSU at Virginia Tech
When: Friday, April 11, 6 p.m. / Saturday, April 12, 1 p.m. / Sunday, April 13, noon
Where: English Field at Atlantic Union Bank Park / Blacksburg, Virginia
Watch/Listen: ACC Network Extra / WFLA 100.7 FM
Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat:
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