Walk-Off Home Run Leads Davidson Past Duke, 7-6

Tuesday, March 10

Charlotte, N.C.

6 p.m.

Duke University

12-4

Davidson

13-3

Duke

Davidson

Walk-Off Home Run Leads Davidson Past Duke, 7-6

3/10/2020 11:22:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Boxscore

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Duke baseball team suffered a 7-6 loss to Davidson on Tuesday evening at BB&T Ballpark, as a walkoff home run proved to be the difference. The setback marks the Blue Devils' first loss in the midweek this season as the team falls to 12-4 on the campaign.

"We could've done a better job of getting that dagger hit to extend the lead out," said head coach Chris Pollard. "We just didn't di a very effective job of executing with two strikes and two outs in the fourth and fifth innings, that's probably where the game was lost. Davidson competed great. They brought a ton of energy and they were loose. They had a lot of guys step up and they did a great job of getting clutch hits with two outs and two strikes."

The Wildcats (13-4) carried a one-run lead across the first three innings, before the two teams traded runs throughout the middle frames to result in a 5-5 tie after six innings. Duke scored in the eighth to grab a one-run lead, but Davidson would score two in the bottom of the ninth to secure the win in walk-off fashion.

Junior Thomas Girard (1-1) suffered the tough-luck loss, surrendering the game-winning home run. The right-hander worked 1.1 innings, allowing two earned runs on one hit, while striking out four.

Davidson struck first in Tuesday's midweek matchup, plating one run in the bottom of the second. The scoring sequence began with a leadoff hit-by-pitch, before a one-out single to right placed runners on the corners. One batter later, a sacrifice bunt brought across the game's first run and put the Wildcats ahead 1-0 after one full.

Duke responded two innings later, plating two runs in the fourth to grab the advantage. The frame began with a single from senior Matt Mervis before junior Michael Rothenberg reached on a hit-by-pitch to place runners on first and second. One out later, back-to-back singles from senior Chase Cheek and sophomore Rudy Maxwell resulted in a pair of runs scored for the Blue Devils to make it a 2-1 game in Duke's favor.

The Wildcats answered right back with a three-run inning in the home half to regain their lead. Davidson used a leadoff single and a one-out walk to place runners on first and second. One out later, a RBI single to left scored one to even the contest at two apiece. One batter later, a wild pitch allowed another run to cross and put Davidson ahead. The Wildcats scored their third and final run of the inning on a RBI single to right center to push their lead to 4-2 after four innings of play.

Davidson strung together a two-out rally in the fifth to extend its lead. The Wildcats used back-to-back doubles to manufacture a run and widen the gap to 5-2.

The Blue Devils evened things in the sixth with a three-run frame to make it a 5-5 ballgame. Cheek led off the inning with a double down the right field line to place a runner in scoring position. After senior Erikson Nichols reached on an infield single to third, a fielder's choice put runners on the corners with two down. One batter later, junior Joey Loperfido delivered a RBI single to left field to score one.

The inning continued as sophomore Ethan Murray reached on an error by the Davidson second baseman, which allowed another run to cross for the Blue Devils. Mervis followed with a RBI double to the left field corner to plate the third run of the frame and knot the contest at five apiece after six and a half innings.

Duke took the lead in the eighth, as the Blue Devils scored one run to move ahead. Murray reached on a throwing error by the shortstop before advancing into scoring position on a groundout in the next at-bat. After Rothenberg drew a walk to place runners on first and second, both runners advanced 90 feet to second and third on wild pitch. One batter later, a second wild pitch of the inning allowed Murray to score, making it a 6-5 contest.

Davidson went scoreless in the eighth, before walking things off in the ninth with a pair of runs. The Wildcat ninth began with a hit-by-pitch to put the tying run on base. One out later, a two-run home run to right field ended things to give the Wildcats the 7-6 win.

Duke returns to the diamond this weekend, as the Blue Devils are set to host rival North Carolina at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park for a three-game series in the second weekend of ACC play. The two teams are set for a 7 p.m. first pitch in Friday's series opener, while Saturday's and Sunday's games are both set for 12 p.m. Fans can catch all three games on ACC Network, marking Duke's first nationally televised games of the season.

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

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