TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Interstat) — In a wild, back-and-forth Atlantic Coast Conference contest that stretched from afternoon into evening, the Florida State Seminoles outlasted the Duke Blue Devils 12-11 on Saturday at Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium.

The game, which featured 29 combined hits and 12 pitchers, was ultimately decided by a chaotic and unearned run in the bottom of the eighth inning. With the score tied at 11, Florida State’s McCulley led off with a single, was bunted to second, and advanced to third on a foul out. After an intentional walk to Myles Bailey, Duke reliever Caleb Anderson attempted a pickoff at first base. The throw sailed into the outfield, allowing McCulley to scamper home with what proved to be the decisive run. The play was briefly reviewed but stood, giving the Seminoles their first lead since the first inning.

Duke mounted a final threat in the ninth. Collin Anderson led off with a single and was sacrificed to second. After a pitching change, Florida State reliever Gabe Nard entered and got Michael DiMartini to ground out, moving the tying run to third. Nard then struck out Perez looking to end the game, securing his first save and capping a dramatic victory.

The game’s pivotal sequence was set up by a relentless Seminoles comeback. Duke had seized an early 4-0 lead in the top of the first on a sacrifice fly and a two-run single from Hamilton. Florida State responded immediately in the bottom half, sending nine men to the plate and scoring four runs on three hits, two walks, an error, and a hit batter, highlighted by RBI singles from Brayden Dowd and Hunter Carns.

The Blue Devils reclaimed a 5-4 lead in the second on an RBI double from Albright and Hamilton’s two-run single, but Florida State tied it in the bottom of the frame on an RBI single from Kelvyn Paulino Jr. Duke’s Michael DiMartini then launched a two-run homer to deep left in the fourth, making it 7-5.

The Seminoles chipped away, tying the game at 7 in the sixth on a towering two-run homer to center by Myles Bailey, his team-leading eighth of the year. They took their first lead later in the inning when Carns grounded out to score Paulino Jr., making it 8-7.

Duke erupted for four runs in the top of the eighth to surge ahead 11-8. The rally included an RBI double from Collin Anderson, a run scoring on a wild pitch, an RBI single from Perez, and a bases-loaded walk to Strand. Florida State answered with three in the bottom of the seventh to tie it again at 11, capitalizing on two walks and a hit batter from Duke’s bullpen, with RBI walks from Paulino Jr. and Dowd and another from Carns forcing in the tying run.

Duke’s Peter Lemke provided critical middle relief, tossing four innings and allowing just three hits while striking out two, though he was charged with three earned runs. Caleb Anderson followed with 1 1/3 scoreless innings of hitless relief. For Florida State, Nard’s clutch ninth-inning performance sealed the win.

DiMartini finished 2-for-5 with the home run, two RBIs and two runs for Duke. Collin Anderson was 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs. For Florida State, Bailey went 2-for-3 with the home run, two RBIs and three runs scored, while Paulino Jr. drove in two runs.

With the win, Florida State improves to 21-5 overall and 4-1 in the ACC. Duke falls to 17-12 and 2-6 in conference play. The teams conclude their three-game series on Sunday.