Crabtree Leads Blue Devils to 5-1 Victory

Wednesday, March 11

Durham, N.C.

4:30 p.m.

Duke University

23-4

Elon

11-11

Elon

Duke

Crabtree Leads Blue Devils to 5-1 Victory

3/11/2020 7:29:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

DURHAM, N.C. – Duke softball notched its ninth straight win on Wednesday evening as the Blue Devils topped the Elon Phoenix, 5-1, at the Duke Softball Stadium.

With the victory, the Blue Devils improved to 23-4 on the season while handing Elon its 11th loss, moving to 11-11.

Junior Rachel Crabtree led Duke at the plate with a 3-for-3 performance in which she racked up a career-high four RBI with a two-run double and a two-run homer. The home run was her first in the 2020 campaign and fifth of her career.

"As a team I think our mindset is always to be aggressive, so I just went up there taking my hacks and getting all three cuts," said Crabtree. "I just wanted to put some runs on the board for my team and help us out a little."

Using three hits, Elon scored the first run of the game in the opening frame on an RBI single through the right side. After three scoreless innings, the Blue Devils responded in the bottom of the fourth, plating four runs.

Duke got two early baserunners in the fourth in Raine Wilson and Caroline Jacobsen on two Phoenix errors. Both picked up a stolen base, moving to second and third. Junior Jameson Kavel sent a ball up the middle, scoring Wilson to tie the ballgame at 1-1. After Kavel stole the third base of the frame, Crabtree doubled down the left field line to bring her and Jacobsen home (3-1).

In the sixth, Duke added its final runs of the contest, scoring two on three hits and one error. Kavel reached on a miscue by the third baseman and quickly picked up her second stolen base, upping her season total to 14. Next to bat, Crabtree crushed a two-run homer over the fence in right center, giving Duke a 5-1 advantage.

The Blue Devils utilized three arms in the circle with sophomore Shelby Walters getting the start. The sophomore pitched two innings and picked up one strikeout before junior Peyton St. George (10-2) entered in relief, throwing three frames while tallying all three K's in the fifth to earn her 10th win of the year. Junior Brianna Butler also got in on the action, tossing two innings in which she added another three K's.

Duke returns to ACC play on Friday, March 13, with game one of the series against No. 12 Florida State. First pitch on Friday is set for 5 p.m. at the Duke Softball Stadium.

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