Blue Devils Down Bulldogs, 7-4

Wednesday, March 11

Durham, N.C. (Jack Coombs Field)

3:00 PM

Duke University

Bryant

Blue Devils Down Bulldogs, 7-4

3/11/2015 7:49:00 PM | Baseball

By: Duke Sports Information

DURHAM, N.C. – Duke built a 7-1 advantage and held off a late Bryant rally to down the Bulldogs, 7-4, in nonconference action Wednesday evening at Jack Coombs Field.

Duke (13-3, 1-2 ACC) recorded its seven runs on nine hits, led by sophomore Jalen Phillips and freshman Max Miller with matching 2-for-4 performances. Phillips also contributed two RBI and a run scored, while Miller scored two runs.

The Blue Devils utilized six pitchers in the win, which improved Duke's record to 10-0 at home and 4-0 in midweek games. Freshman Mitch Stallings started the game and threw 3.2 innings while allowing just one unearned run on four hits. Senior Sarkis Ohanian (2-0) earned the win after tossing 2.1 shutout innings. Ohanian allowed two hits, struck out a batter and did not issue a walk.

“Sarkis did a good job of picking up Mitch to protect the lead,” said head coach Chris Pollard. “I thought the best moment of his outing was when he went 3-0 on the leadoff batter in the fifth. Coach See took a trip to the mound and got him back on his delivery. Then he went fastball for a strike, fastball for a strike and got a groundball for a 6-3 out to start that inning. That just shows the maturation process Sarkis has gone through and the job he's done to make himself a more complete pitcher.”

Bryant (2-9, 0-0 NEC) rallied late with a three-run eighth. Junior Kenny Koplove took the mound with the bases loaded in that frame and recorded the final five outs to preserve the win and register his third save of the season.

“That's what you get when you face a team that's had back-to-back 40-win seasons,” Pollard added. “Bryant is very good offensively and competes in the box as good as any team we've played this year. They made us earn everything we got.”

For the third time in as many games, Duke scored in the first inning to claim an early advantage. Phillips laced a one-out double down the right field line and scored following a wild pitch and Bryant throwing error. Sophomore Cris Perez added an RBI base hit, bringing his team-leading total to 17 RBI on the year and extending the margin to 2-0.

Bryant trimmed the lead to one run on Robby Rinn's RBI single in the fourth. John Mullen doubled to lead off the frame, advanced to third on a failed pickoff attempt before crossing home on Rinn's base knock. Ohanian came on in relief and got a groundball to end the threat.

Duke scored two runs in the fifth and three runs in the sixth to take a 7-1 lead into the final frames. Miller and Koplove singled to start off the fifth and Andy Perez was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Phillips drove in a run with a single and Cameron Neal drew the bases-loaded walk to make it a 4-1 game.

Back-to-back Justin Bellinger and Miller singles began a three-run sixth inning. Both Bellinger and Miller came home on a Bulldog error to make it a 6-1 Blue Devil lead. Phillips registered an RBI for the second-straight inning, lifting a sacrifice fly to left field with a runner on third.

Bryant threated the six-run lead in the eighth, breaking out for three runs on three hits and three walks. A bases-loaded walk plated the first run before Brandon Bingel's two-run single cut the margin to three. Koplove finished the frame without further damage and pitched a scoreless ninth to complete the win.

Duke returns to ACC action this weekend, hosting Georgia Tech at Jack Coombs Field Friday-Sunday, Mar. 13-15.

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