DURHAM, NC – Matt Henderson finished with two hits, including his fifth double of the season, in sixth-ranked Florida State’s (32-17, 14-8 ACC) 3-1 setback to Duke (31-20, 12-14 ACC) on Saturday afternoon at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
Henderson was the one of six hitters in the Seminole lineup with a hit and was one of two, along with Quincy Nieporte (2-4), to record multiple hits. Ben DeLuzio, who snapped his career-long eight-game hitting streak, recorded the lone RBI on a sacrifice bunt that scored Dylan Busby in the second inning.
FSU hurler Cole Sands (4-5), who completed six innings for the second time in as many games, took the loss after allowing three earned runs on four hits.
Duke’s Jimmy Herron led off the first inning with a double to left and gave the Blue Devils a 1-0 advantage four batters later when he slid into home following a wild pitch by Sands.
FSU knotted the game at 1-1 in the second after Busby was struck on the arm. Henderson followed with a single through the left side of the infield, putting runners at the corners for DeLuzio, who laid down a sacrifice bunt to score Busby from third.
Duke regained the lead in the bottom of second when a two-out walk by Max Miller extended the inning. With Miller at second, following a wild pitch, Herron reached on a ground rule double to right field to give the Blue Devils a 2-1 advantage.
The Blue Devils tallied the final run of the game in the sixth inning when Justin Bellinger sent a lead-off home run over the right field wall for the 3-1 lead. FSU put runners on base in both the eighth and ninth innings, however the Seminoles were unable to complete the comeback.
The Seminoles close out the weekend with redshirt sophomore Ed Voyles (1-1, 2.84 ERA) on the mound on Sunday at 1 p.m. It will be Voyles’ third start of the season and first against an ACC squad. Duke will counter with right-hander Brian McAfee (7-3, 3.31 ERA).
