Stanford's 5th inning magic leads to series opening win over FSU baseball

After Wes Mendes threw four hitless innings, a three-hit fifth inning flipped Florida State baseball's 3-0 lead into a 4-3 deficit and loss as Stanford stole game one of the first ACC series between the Seminoles and Cardinal at Klein Field.

Mendes was nearly unhittable in his outing on Friday, April 25, with the three-hit fifth accounting for all but two of Stanford's hits. The No. 8 Seminoles (29-12, 12-7) ace struck out five and walked three batters, while hitting another, in six innings of work.

The Seminoles held a 3-0 lead on the back of a three-run third inning. Both Eli Putnam and Carter McCulley reached base to lead off the inning before a two-RBI double from Chase Williams, who went 1-for-4. Williams didn't stay on the bases long, as Hunter Carns, who went 2-for-3, singled him home on the next pitch of the inning.

Mendes had thrown just 32 pitches through the first four innings before Brady Reynolds earned Stanford's first hit of the game with a single that snuck past the outstretched glove of a leaping Cal Fisher at third base.

Reynolds' single followed a walk from Charlie Bates, and the Cardinal loaded the bases with a subsequent walk, which set the scene for an automatic double from Luke Lavin, which scored a pair of runs. A two-out, two-RBI single from Eric Jeon gave Stanford the 4-3 lead. Mendes forced a pop-out from the next batter to end a 32-pitch inning for the lefty.

FSU's offense produced little following the Stanford comeback, with just one hit in the final three innings. The Seminoles finished the night with eight total strikeouts, five of which came after the lead was lost.

Despite that, FSU outhit Stanford 7-to-5, but couldn't convert reliably with runners on and in scoring position, going 3-of-14 with at least a runner on, and 2-of-11 with a runner in scoring position.