Florida State University Athletics
Florida State
21-5, 7-1
Duke
17-12, 4-7
FSU Falls to Duke in Series Finale
3/29/2026 6:02:00 PM | Baseball
The 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).
Despite 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.
On 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.
Redshirt senior first baseman Eli Putnam led the team with two hits and scored a run, while sophomore catcher Hunter Carns had a hit and an RBI.
On the mound, junior left-handed starter Bryson Moore suffered his first loss of the season and is 4-1 in 2026. Junior righty Jake Echols pitched 2.0 no-hit innings in relief and struck out three with no walks.
Duke 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.
FSU 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.
A bases-loaded walk made it 8-0 in the fifth, and sophomore right-hander Cade O'Leary pitched a 1-2-3 sixth after getting the last out of the fifth.
Florida State scored its first run in the bottom of the sixth, as sophomore catcher Hunter Carns doubled home junior center fielder Brayden Dowd. 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 that plated senior shortstop Carter McCulley.
The Seminoles made it 9-3 in the eighth on a sacrifice fly by junior second baseman Cal Fisher.
The 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., who tripled, in the bottom half for the 11-4 final.
Florida 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.
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).
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Knier, Chris (2-0)
L: Anderson, Caleb (1-1)
S: Nard, Gabe (1)
Batting:
2B: Albright, Tyler 1 ; Anderson, Collin 1 ; DiMartini, Michael 1 ; Smith, Kaden 1
HR: DiMartini, Michael 1
RBI: Albright, Tyler 1 ; Anderson, Collin 1 ; DiMartini, Michael 2 ; Hamilton, RJ 2 ; Perez, Brooks 2 ; Strand, Matthew 2
SH: Quagliano, Coltin 1
SF: Strand, Matthew 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Albright, Tyler 1 ; Anderson, Collin 2 ; DiMartini, Michael 2 ; Hamilton, RJ 1 ; Lambdin, Jake 1 ; Perez, Brooks 1 ; Quagliano, Coltin 3
CS: Hamilton, RJ 1
Batting:
2B: McCulley, Carter 2
HR: Bailey, Myles 1
RBI: Williams, Chase 1 ; Dowd, Brayden 2 ; Paulino Jr., Kelvyn 2 ; Bailey, Myles 2 ; Carns, Hunter 3 ; Putnam, Eli 1
SH: Fisher, Cal 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Dowd, Brayden 1 ; Paulino Jr., Kelvyn 1 ; Stuetzer, John 3 ; Bailey, Myles 4 ; Putnam, Eli 1 ; McCulley, Carter 2
SB: Dowd, Brayden 1 ; Stuetzer, John 1 ; Bailey, Myles 1
HBP: Stuetzer, John 1
