Wilson Spearheads Duke's 5-2 Win at Notre Dame

Friday, April 13

South Bend, Ind.

4:00 PM

Duke University

22-21, 0

Notre Dame

27-14, 0

Duke

Notre Dame

Wilson Spearheads Duke's 5-2 Win at Notre Dame

4/13/2018 5:45:00 PM | Softball

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By: Duke Sports Information

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Whether it was at the plate or in the field, Raine Wilson was unstoppable Friday afternoon as she led the Duke Blue Devils (22-21, 7-9 ACC) to a 5-2 victory to open the series against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (27-14, 10-5 ACC) in South Bend.

It was a pitchers' duel for the first four innings until Wilson stepped into the box in the fifth with a runner at third. The sophomore third baseman would demolish a 1-1 pitch over the bleachers in left to put the Blue Devils ahead 2-0 at Melissa Cook Stadium. Jill Ferraro led off the inning with a walk, giving way to pinch runner Ashleigh Rodriguez. Rodriguez would move to second on a stolen base and to third on a sac bunt from Dominique Salinas to bring up Wilson.

Wilson's standout play didn't stop at the plate, as she made a number of impressive defensive plays in the contest, highlighted by a leaping grab on a high chopper and firing over to first for the out to keep the Irish in check.

End 5 | So to summarize that fifth inning you only need two words: Raine Wilson.

🔵😈 2, ☘️ 0#GoDuke | #TeamOne pic.twitter.com/DX5jrxqZ9g
— Duke Softball (@DukeSOFTBALL) April 13, 2018

Two more runs would come across in the sixth, as an RBI double from Amelia Wiercioch and an RBI single from Ferraro pushed Duke's lead to 4-0. After the Irish put down the first two batters, Jameson Kavel got things going with a single up that middle that led to Wiercioch's double. Makenna Lutterloh took over running duties for Wiercioch and booked it home on Ferraro's single to left to extend the lead to four.

The game's final run would come in the top of the seventh as back-to-back singles from Hannah Pridemore and Wilson would be followed by an RBI groundout by Rachel Abboud two batters later to make it 5-0 in favor of the Blue Devils.

Notre Dame would push back and try to rally in the seventh, recording a solo home run and an RBI double to cut the lead down to 5-2. However, they would come no closer as Peyton St. George got the final batter swinging to close out the game.

Wiercioch improved to 8-8 with her second-straight win, allowing four hits and walked two batters while striking out one on the day. St. George came on for the final two outs of the contest to seal the series-opening victory.

Duke out-hit the Irish 8-5, improving to 17-6 on the year when winning the hits battle. Leading the way were a pair of two-hit performances from Wilson and Kavel. Wilson, who is now tied for the team lead with 13 multi-hit contests this year, also drove in two runs to pick up her team-high sixth multi-RBI performance.

The Blue Devils and Fighting Irish return for a Saturday doubleheader to close out the series, starting at 1 p.m. ET. The second contest will follow approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one. Both games will be broadcast 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”.

So to recap our Friday...🔵😈

6:15 a.m. ➡️ 🚌 from campus to RDU
7:50 a.m. ➡️ ✈️ from RDU to Chicago
11:00 a.m. ➡️ 🚌 from Chicago to South Bend
4:00 p.m. ➡️ First pitch
5:54 p.m. ➡️ @peytonstg gets a K, we get a W#GoDuke | #TeamOne pic.twitter.com/B9YVBCO4Sk
— Duke Softball (@DukeSOFTBALL) April 13, 2018

Hey @iss if you see a softball floating around up there, it belongs to @raine_wilson. Just an FYI. 🔵😈 #GoDuke | #TeamOne

A post shared by Duke Softball (@dukesoftball) on Apr 13, 2018 at 3:47pm PDT

Extra Bases…

Duke is now 3-0 against opponents from the state of Indiana.
The Blue Devils are now 16-3 when leading after five innings and a perfect 18-0 when leading after six.
Duke has used a different batting order in all 43 games this season.
After holding Notre Dame to two runs Friday, the Blue Devils are now 15-1 when keeping their opponents at two runs or less.
Friday's win improved Duke to 3-3 in game ones in ACC play.
Duke is now 10-5 this season when hitting a home run and 17-6 when outhitting its opponent.
After entering the month of April with just four double plays turned this season, Duke has turned three, including two in the last three games.
Behind stolen bases from Jameson Kavel and Ashleigh Rodriguez, the Blue Devils recorded their first multi-steal contest since snagging three against Lehigh (March 3).
Raine Wilson hit her team-leading fifth home run and second two-run bomb of the season.
After going 2-for-4 in her first game as the leadoff hitter, Wilson is now tied for the team lead with 13 multi-hit games this year.
Wilson also took the team lead with six multi-RBI contests after driving in two Friday.
With her two hits, Wilson has now hit safely in 22 of her last 28 games and is now 21-for-48 (.438) at the plate in ACC play with 14 RBI, seven runs, four homers and three doubles.
Jameson Kavel recorded her 10th multi-hit game of the year after going 2-for-3 Friday.
Haley Wymbs has now reached base safely in four-straight games, tying her career high.

Series Info…
Friday, April 13
Duke def. Notre Dame, 5-2 (Stats)

Saturday, April 14
Duke at Notre Dame - 1:00 & 3:00 p.m. ET
ACC Network Extra – Game 1
ACC Network Extra – Game 2
South Bend, Ind.
Melissa Cook Stadium

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