TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Interstat) — In a tense Atlantic Coast Conference pitching duel that saw a combined 30 strikeouts, Florida State rode a dominant start from Wes Mendes and a decisive sixth-inning rally to edge Duke 3-1 on Friday night at Dick Howser Stadium.

The most important part of the game arrived in the bottom of the sixth inning, breaking a scoreless deadlock and shifting momentum permanently to the home side. For five innings, Duke starter Aidan Weaver matched Mendes zero for zero, not allowing a hit while striking out 11 Seminoles. Meanwhile, Mendes had stifled the Blue Devils, allowing just four scattered hits and fanning 12.

The stalemate shattered when Florida State’s Cam Bailey led off the sixth with a double to right-center. He moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on James Kelvyn’s single up the middle, the Seminoles’ first hit of the game, to take a 1-0 lead. Weaver then walked Hunter Carns and, after a strikeout, was lifted for Marcello Mastroianni. The reliever yielded an RBI single to Chase Williams, scoring Carns, who had advanced on another wild pitch. Williams then stole second and third, illustrating the aggressive baserunning that pressured Duke all night, to put Florida State ahead 2-0.

Mendes (3-1) earned the win, delivering a masterful 6 2/3 innings. He allowed no runs on four hits and struck out 12, a stark rebound from his previous outing where he allowed four earned runs to NC State. John Abraham secured a 2 1/3-inning save, his first, despite allowing Duke’s lone run in the eighth.

Weaver (2-3) was the hard-luck loser for Duke, charged with two runs on just one hit over 5 2/3 innings, walking four and striking out 11.

Duke threatened in the eighth, cutting the deficit in half. Brooks Perez doubled and scored on Tyler Albright’s RBI double to right-center. Abraham entered and induced a crucial inning-ending 5-3 double play from Drew Smith, stranding the potential tying run.

Florida State added a critical insurance run in the bottom of the eighth without a hit. Pinch-runner Jackson Fraser, who entered after a walk, advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt and a wild pitch, then scored on another wild pitch by Roman DiGiacomo to make it 3-1.

Duke put the tying run on base in the ninth after shortstop Jake Lambdin reached on an error and advanced to third with one out, but Abraham struck out Anthony Quagliano looking to end the game.

The Blue Devils out-hit the Seminoles 7-4, with Lambdin and Perez each collecting two hits, but stranded multiple runners against Mendes and Abraham.

With the victory, Florida State improved to 20-5 overall and 4-3 in the ACC, while Duke fell to 17-11 and 4-6 in conference play. The teams continue their three-game series Saturday.