Walk Off Win Caps Wednesday Doubleheader for Duke

Wednesday, March 28

Durham, N.C.

3:00 PM

Duke University

17-15

USC Upstate

22-11

USC Upstate

Duke

Walk Off Win Caps Wednesday Doubleheader for Duke

3/28/2018 9:50:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 SB: Highlights - USC Upstate Box Score (PDF) - Game 1 Box Score (PDF) - Game 2 2018 Season Stats Box Score (HTML) - Game 2 Box Score (HTML) - Game 1

By: Duke Sports Information

DURHAM, N.C. - Trailing by one and down to their final out, the Duke Blue Devils (18-15) were in need of some late-game heroics to split Wednesday's doubleheader against the USC Upstate Spartans (22-12). Enter Amelia Wiercioch and Kortney Dry.

Thanks to back-to-back RBI singles from Wiercioch and Dry, the Blue Devils walked off a 6-5 win against the Spartans in the second game of the twinbill, splitting the two-game set in their first home midweek action in program history.

After falling 3-1 in the day's first contest, the Blue Devils jumped out in front quick in game two, using two runs in the second and another in the third to push ahead 3-0 after three. A Wiercioch double down the left field line kicked off the festivities in the second, with a throwing error on a Dry fielder's choice allowing Wiercioch to score the game's first run. Two batters later, Jazmine Moreno doubled to right center to push Dry across home plate and give Duke the 2-0 advantage.

Wiercioch struck again an inning later, making USC Upstate pay for a defensive error a batter earlier by driving Raine Wilson home with a triple off the wall in right center, one of her two runs batted in for the game.

The Spartans got one back in the fifth thanks to a Blue Devil pickoff play that allowed the lead runner at third to cross home. However, Duke made quick work to get that run back, as Dominique Salinas used an infield single and a wild pitch to come within 60 feet of scoring, eventually being driven home on a singel from Rachel Abboud to make it 4-1 Duke.

Duke took that three-run lead into the seventh and got within two outs of victory before USC Upstate made its rally. A walk, single and defensive error set up a two-run double that brought the Blue Devil lead down to 4-3. The Spartans tied things up a batter later, as their runner on third tagged up on a foul out to right, beating out a pinpoint throw to knot things up at 4-4. The go-ahead run came on a single on the final out, putting the Spartans three outs from victory with a 5-4 lead.

A pop up to short started things off for the Blue Devils in the home half of the seventh before Jameson Kavel and Abboud tallied consecutive base hits to put two on. Another pop up to short would put the second out on the board, but then stepped in Wiercioch, who pushed the tying run across with an RBI single to center. Dry landed the final blow with a single to left, scoring Reilly Metzger and sealing the 6-5 win.

Six Blue Devils tallied hits in the second game, led by a 3-for-4 performance from Wiercioch, who fell a home run short of the cycle. Abboud and Dry each turned in two-hit showings, while Kavel, Moreno and Salinas rounded out the Duke offensive efforts.

Wiercioch threw the first 4.2 innings of play, allowing just one run (unearned), two hits and fanning three before giving way to Peyton St. George. The freshman righty improved to 5-4 on the year after tossing 2.1 innings, allowing just one earned run, three hits and striking out one.

The Blue Devils found themselves on the other end of the spectrum in the day's first game, as Upstate plated two runs in the eighth inning and held on late to win. A wild pitch in the fourth pushed the game's first run across, giving the Spartans a 1-0 advantage until Moreno stepped to the plate in the bottom of the fifth. There the Blue Devil catcher sent an 0-1 pitch packing over the wall i nleft for her first-career home run to tie things. However, a sac fly and RBI single in the eighth, along with a 1-2-3 showing in the bottom half of the frame secured the 3-1 victory for the visitors.

Salinas led the Blue Devils with a 2-for-3 day at the plate, while Moreno, Dry, Wiercioch and Kavel each earned a hit. Brianna Butler earned the start for Duke, going 5.0 innings before giving way to Katherine Huey (7-6), who pitched the final 3.0 frames.

After the doubleheader, Kavel upped her hitting streak to four-straight games, two short of tying her career high, while Dry improved her career high streak to three-straight contests with a hit.

With their five-game home stand in the books, the Blue Devils will now hit the road for Pittsburgh, Pa., to take on the Pitt Panthers in the fourth weekend of ACC action. The series begins Friday, March 30 at 5 p.m. ET, followed by a 1 p.m. first pitch on Saturday, March 31. The weekend concludes Sunday, April 1 with a 12 p.m. showdown. All three contests will be live streamed on ACC Network Extra.

For more information on Duke softball, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for “DukeSoftball”. You can also find all-access coverage of all Duke athletic programs on SnapChat by searching for “dukeathletics”.

Extra Bases…

With the win in game two, the Blue Devils are now 14-10 in non-conference action, including a 2-3 record against opponents from the state of South Carolina.
The game two win also moved Duke to 13-1 when leading after five innings of play and a perfect 15-0 when ahead after six.
With six runs in game two, the Blue Devils are 16-5 this year when scoring at least three runs.
Wednesday night was the first home midweek action in Blue Devil softball history.
Her RBI single in the bottom of the seventh was the first walk-off hit in Kortney Dry's career.
Dry also extended her career-high hitting streak to three-straight games after Wednesday's doubleheader.
Dry has now recorded multi-hit showings in two of her last three appearances.
Jameson Kavel has now hit safely in four-straight games and is two short of tying her career high.
With her two-hit performance in the day's second game, Rachel Abboud is now tied with Kavel for the team lead in multi-hit contests with nine.
Amelia Wiercioch recorded two RBI in the game two win, tallying her team-high fifth multi-RBI performance of the season.
Wiercioch went 3-for-4 in game two, falling a home run shy of becoming the first player in program history to hit for the cycle.
Jazmine Moreno hit the first home run of her career with a solo shot to left in the fifth inning of game one.

On Deck…
With their five-game home stand in the books, the Blue Devils will now hit the road for Pittsburgh, Pa., to take on the Pitt Panthers in the fourth weekend of ACC action. The series begins Friday, March 30 at 5 p.m. ET, followed by a 1 p.m. first pitch on Saturday, March 31. The weekend concludes Sunday, April 1 with a 12 p.m. showdown. All three contests will be live streamed on ACC Network Extra.

Friday, March 30
Duke at Pitt - 5:00 p.m. ET
ACC Network Extra
Pittsburgh, Pa.
Petersen Sports Complex (Vartabedian Field)

Saturday, March 31
Duke at Pitt - 1:00 p.m. ET
ACC Network Extra
Pittsburgh, Pa.
Petersen Sports Complex (Vartabedian Field)

Sunday, April 1
Duke at Pitt – 12:00 p.m. ET
ACC Network Extra
Pittsburgh, Pa.
Petersen Sports Complex (Vartabedian Field)

2018 Duke Softball Program Firsts...

Game: Feb. 8, 2018 vs. FAU (Game 1)

Win (Team): Feb. 8, 2018 vs. FAU (Game 1), 4-3

Win (Individual): Katherine Huey vs. FAU (Game 1), Feb. 8, 2018

At-Bat: Jameson Kavel vs. FAU (Game 1), Feb. 8, 2018

Pitch: Amelia Wiercioch vs. FAU (Game 1), Feb. 8, 2018

Baserunner: Jameson Kavel (Walked, 1st Inning) vs. FAU (Game 1), Feb. 8, 2018

Hit: Amelia Wiercioch (Double, 1st Inning) vs. FAU (Game 1), Feb. 8, 2018

Single: Rachel Abboud (3rd Inning) vs. FAU (Game 1), Feb. 8, 2018