TALLAHASSEE, Fla. –Kennie Taylor hit a triple in the ninth inning and a home run in the 11thinning to lead No. 12 Duke (30-7, 12-5 ACC) past No. 10 Florida State (24-12, 8-9) 6-5 in 11 innings Saturday afternoon on Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium. Jackson Lueck and Steven Wells hit home runs for the Seminoles.
Starting pitcher Drew Parrish pitched 7.0 innings, striking out seven batters and giving up six hits, including a pair of home runs to Max Miller and Jimmy Herron. Herron’s solo home run in the seventh inning broke a 3-3 tie.
Duke starting pitcher Mitch Stallings pitched 6.1 innings, striking out nine. He gave up just three hits and walked five. He allowed home runs to Jackson Lueck and Steven Wells among his five runs. After leaving in a chaotic seventh, both of his inherited runners scored on wild pitches from Duke relievers.
Jack Labosky, Duke’s starting third baseman, pitched the final three innings without allowing a run to move to 2-0 on the season. He was 0-for-4 at the plate with a pair of strikeouts.
Conor Grady (3-2) allowed Taylor’s game-winning home run in the 11th.
Lueck gave FSU a 2-0 lead with his eighth home run of the season in the third inning to score Wells. Lueck’s eight home runs are one shy of his high of nine in 2017. Leftfielder Herron caught Lueck’s ball at the warning track, but the ball and glove fell into the visiting bullpen for the home run.
Duke responded with a three-run home run in the top of the fourth off the bat of Miller, his first of the year. Parrish allowed a leadoff double to Zack Kone and walked Joey Loperfido. Both runners advanced a base when Lueck caught Griffin Conine’s pop up in foul territory, a full-on sprint before crashing into the fence beyond the tarp on the third base line.
Miller’s home run came three pitches after he lined a pitch down the left field line that was ruled just foul and upheld on replay.
Wells tied the game in the fifth inning with his second home run of the year. It was the senior’s first multi-home run season after having one each his first three years.
Herron’s home run was his second of the season and gave Duke a 4-3 lead in the top of the seventh. FSU retook the lead in the bottom of the inning, after Nick Derr walked and Cooper Swanson hit a pinch hit single to put runners on the corners. Stallings struck out Reese Albert before giving way to Matt Mervis. Mervis struck out Wells before a wild pitch to Mike Salvatore scored Derr to tie the game at 4-4.
After Salvatore walked and Swanson stole third base, Matt Dockman entered and walked Lueck on four pitches to load the bases. Bryce Jarvis, Duke’s fourth pitcher of the inning, threw a wild pitch to Aplin to score Swanson and give FSU a 5-4 lead.
Freshman Jonah Scolaro pitched a perfect eighth inning before giving up the one-out triple to Taylor. Michael Smiciklas singled up the middle to score Taylor and tie the game at 5-5.
Taylor’s home run in the 11th was his second of the year.
- Steven Wells walked in the third inning, his 29th of the season. That is more than he had his first three seasons combined (28).
- Wells hit his second home run of the season in the fifth inning to tie the game. He had one home run each as a freshman, sophomore and junior.
- Jackson Lueck hit his team-high eighth home run of the season and 21st of his career. He is one shy of his career high (9 in 2017). His 26 RBI are second on the team (Raleigh, 28).
- Rhett Aplin drew three walks, tied for his most in a game. He now has 32 on the seasons, most on the team.
- Reese Albert made a pair of diving catches in centerfield. It was his second straight start in center as J.C. Flowers recovers from jaw surgery last month.
- Drew Parrish’s 7.0 innings are his most since throwing 7.1 innings against Notre Dame (3/17). Parrish allowed four earned runs, his most given up this year.
- FSU is now 1-1 in extra-inning games this season. FSU won last month at North Carolina, 6-3 in 10 innings.
- The Seminoles hit into four double plays Saturday and have hit into seven over the first two games of the series.
Florida State and Duke wrap the series Sunday at 1:00 p.m. FSU will throw RHP Andrew Karp (5-3, 3.19 ERA). The Blue Devils have not yet announced a starter.
The game will stream live on WatchESPN with Shawn Davison (PxP) and Chip Baker (Color). Eric Luallen will be on the radio in Tallahassee on 106.1 FM and nationwide on the FSU Gameday App.
