BERKELEY – The California baseball team (20-29, 7-20 ACC) fell 5-1 to No. 2 Florida State (36-11, 16-8 ACC) in the rubber match Sunday of a three-game ACC series at Stu Gordon Stadium on Mother's Day. The Bears had shut out the Seminoles, 5-0, on Saturday, to even the series after Florida State's 8-2 victory on Friday evening.

Three Florida State pitchers limited the Golden Bears to five singles in Sunday's series finale with starter Wes Mendez (5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 4 SO, 1 WP, 1 HBP) picking up the victory to improve to 6-2. Peyton Prescott (2.1 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 4 SO) came into the game after Mendez hit Jacob French to lead off the bottom of the sixth and eventually worked his way out a pair of two-on, one-out jams in the sixth and seventh innings. In the seventh, Carl Schmidt drew a two-out walk and Dominic Smaldino singled him to second before Prescott retired Jacob French on a fly out to center field to end the inning. The Bears put a pair of runners on base for a third straight inning in the eighth but Joe Charles (1.2 IP, 3 SO) came on to retire all five Cal hitters he faced over the next two frames to earn his second save of the campaign. Charles struck out the side in order in the bottom of the ninth.

Cal had just one hit in eight at bats with runners in scoring position and stranded 11.

Cal starter Cole Tremain (5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO) took the loss to fall to 4-6 in the longest of his 41 career outings at three different four-year schools beginning in 2021. The start was only the fifth of Tremain's career but his third of the week after throwing 1.0 inning as Cal's "opener" both Tuesday at Pacific and in Friday's first game against the Seminoles. David Shaw (4.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 4 SO) got the final 12 outs for the Bears.

Florida State's Cal Fisher (2-3, 2 R, 2B, RBI, BB) and Max Williams (2-4, R, 2B) were the only players for either team with more than one hit on a cool afternoon with a strong wind blowing in off the Bay. Chase Williams (1-3, 2 RBI, BB) drove in a pair of runs for the Seminoles.

Cal's five singles came from come French, Schmidt and Smaldino, as well as Cade Campbell and P.J. Moutzouridis.

Florida State struck first with one run in the top of the fourth of a game the Bears never led when Fisher drew a two-out walk and was doubled home by Drew Faurot.

The Seminoles increased their lead to 2-0 in the top of the fifth when Alex Lodise connected on their second two-out RBI-single in as many innings.

Cal picked up its lone run in the bottom of the fifth when Ryan Tayman walked to lead off the inning, stole second on a delayed steal that was the first steal of his career, moved to third on an infield single by Moutzouridis and scored when Mendez uncorked a wild pitch.

Florida State would get the run back in the sixth off Shaw when Max Williams led off with a double and scored on Fisher's RBI double two batters later.

The Seminoles scored their final two runs in the top of the eighth on a two-out, two-run single by Chase Williams.

Cal hosts Boston College (25-26, 10-17 ACC) in a three-game ACC series to complete its regular season next Thursday-Saturday, May 15-17 (6 p.m./6 p.m./1 p.m. PT). A live stream of all three games of the series will be available on ACCNX/ESPN+.

The 2025 ACC Baseball Championship featuring all 16 of the league's teams will take place May 20-25 at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham, N.C. Pairings and seedings will be announced following the conclusion of the regular season May 17.
 
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