Skip to main content
florida-state logo

Seminoles hang onto top spot in ACC with series-clinching win at Cal

On3 imageby:Ira Schoffel•05/11/25•

iraschoffel

On3 image
FSU's Drew Faurot drives in a run to give the Seminoles an early lead Sunday at Cal. (Courtesy of Florida State Sports Information)

At this point of the college baseball season, style points mean very little. The only stat that truly matters is wins, and the FSU baseball team picked up another big one Sunday afternoon in Berkeley, Calif.

With the series on the line and just a few games remaining in the 2025 regular season, FSU pulled away late to record a 5-1 victory over the host Cal Golden Bears.

Carrying a slim two-run lead into the eighth inning, FSU took advantage of a costly Cal error and plated two unearned runs on a two-out single by left fielder Chase Williams. That pushed the score to 5-1, and reliever Joe Charles retired all five batters he faced to pick up the save.

The win pushes FSU’s record to 36-11 and 16-8 in the ACC; that’s good for first place in the conference heading into the final week of the regular season.

Florida State concludes its schedule with a three-game series against North Carolina at Dick Howser Stadium this Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

But the result of this series was very much in doubt after Cal cruised to a 5-0 win on Saturday and then did a good job of limiting the Seminoles’ offense for much of Sunday’s finale. Through four innings, FSU had generated just one run on two hits; that score came on an RBI double by second baseman Drew Faurot in the fourth.

Shortstop Alex Lodise drove in another run in the fifth with a two-out RBI single, then the Seminoles added another on an RBI double by third baseman Cal Fisher in the sixth. Center fielder Max Williams and Fisher led FSU with two hits apiece, and Fisher also led the Seminoles with two runs scored.

Sophomore left-hander Wes Mendes, who had been struggling in recent weeks, turned in one of his best starts since early in the season. He only made it through five complete innings, but he limited Cal to one run on three hits to pick up the victory. Mendes is now 6-2 on the year after earning just his second win since March 15.

Peyton Prescott then pitched 2 1/3 innings innings of scoreless relief, and Charles shut the door.

After returning from the West Coast, the Seminoles will have a short week to prepare for the visiting Tar Heels in a series with major postseason implications. UNC is 37-11 on the year and 16-10 in the ACC.

*Sign up for premium access to Warchant.com and theOn3 Network*

*Talk about this story with other die-hard Florida State baseball fans in the FSU Baseball Forum*

You may also like