TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Interstat) — Wes Mendes struck out 12 over 5 1/3 dominant innings and the Florida State Seminoles’ offense steadily pulled away for a 7-3 victory over the Northern Kentucky Norse on Friday night at Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium.

The game, however, was defined not by Mendes’ overpowering start but by a chaotic third inning that saw Northern Kentucky take its only lead without the benefit of a hit, only for Florida State to immediately answer and begin to assert control.

Mendes was electric from the outset, striking out the side in the first inning and fanning six of the first seven batters he faced. His only blemish through the first two frames was a solo home run to deep left field by Noah Sheffield in the bottom of the first, which cut into an early Norse lead.

Northern Kentucky had jumped ahead in the top of the third without making solid contact. After walks to Alex Brazer and Landon Springmeyer, Hunter Friedberg laid down a sacrifice bunt. Mendes fielded it but threw wildly to first, allowing both runners to score and Friedberg to reach second. The Norse led 3-2 but had still not recorded a hit.

That unearned lead was short-lived. Florida State responded in the bottom half against Norse starter Logan Wilson. Chase Williams and John Stuetzer led off with singles, and Sheffield later grounded out to shortstop to drive in Williams, tying the game. The Seminoles loaded the bases but could not break the tie, leaving the score at 3-3.

The failure to capitalize fully in the third did not deter Florida State. In the fourth, reliever Cody Little hit Cal Fisher with a pitch, walked Will Bavaro, and after a groundout, Stuetzer drove in Fisher with another groundout to give the Seminoles a 4-3 lead they would not relinquish.

Mendes continued to mow down the Norse, allowing only a single to Jake Paulick in the sixth before being relieved by Chris Knier with two runners on. Knier induced a fielder’s choice that plated a run, but that was the final threat from Northern Kentucky. Knier was flawless in relief, pitching 3 2/3 hitless innings with four strikeouts to secure the win.

Florida State provided insurance in the later innings. Bavaro launched a solo home run to deep left field in the sixth off Carson French. In the seventh, Kelvyn Paulino Jr. singled home pinch-runner Carter McCulley. The Seminoles added their final run in the eighth when Myles Bailey grounded out to score Stuetzer, who had walked and stolen second.

The Seminoles’ pitching was the story, combining to allow just one hit—the Paulick single—while striking out 16 Norse batters. Mendes improved his record following another strong outing the previous week against The Citadel. The Norse, coming off a high-scoring series win over Eastern Illinois, managed only three baserunners after the third inning.

With the victory, Florida State improved to 11-2 overall, while Northern Kentucky fell to 7-5. The teams are scheduled to continue their three-game series on Saturday.