Duke Claims Weekend Series with Coastal Carolina; Splits Sunday DH

Sunday, February 21

Conway, S.C.

12 P.M.

Duke University

1-1

Coastal Carolina

1-1

Duke

Coastal Carolina

Duke Claims Weekend Series with Coastal Carolina; Splits Sunday DH

2/21/2021 11:42:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Box Score Game 1 Box Score Game 2 Coach Pollard Postgame

CONWAY, S.C. – After a doubleheader split on Sunday, the Duke baseball program earned the opening weekend series win against Coastal Carolina at Spring Brooks Stadium in Conway, S.C.

"Today really showed me a lot of toughness," head coach Chris Pollard said of his squad. "You don't really know what to expect going into a new year. You're going on the road and playing a perennial power."

Duke (2-1) was led by junior RJ Schreck in the first game of the doubleheader after he went 1-for-3 with a home run. The Los Angles, Calif., native was impressive in his opening two games of the 2021 season as he finished the weekend 4-for-7 with four RBI and three runs scored. In the nightcap, graduate student Erikson Nichols and junior Ethan Murray led the Blue Devils with multi-hit games. Nichols finished 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, a double and six RBI, while Murray went 3-for-4 with a triple and two RBI.

Sophomore Henry Williams received the starting nod for Game 1 and recorded six strikeouts. He finished his day giving up three runs and two walks in 4.1 innings of work. In the nightcap, redshirt sophomore Jimmy Loper shined in relief of starting pitcher Jack Carey. The Chesapeake, Va., native allowed just one hit and two walks in 3.2 innings on the mound.

In the first game of the doubleheader, the two programs were knotted at 3-3 for five innings until an exciting ninth frame. The Blue Devils scored four runs on three hits in the top half of the inning, including a Chase Cheek single that scored Chris Davis, to break the deadlock at 7-3. Unfortunately, the home side answered in a big way, scoring five in the bottom half thanks mostly to preseason All-American Parker Chavers' walk-off grand slam.

The nightcap followed suit and was just as tight as both teams put up multiple runs in the first few innings. Duke entered the seventh inning stretch with an 8-5 lead but saw Coastal Carolina tie the game in the bottom half. The Blue Devils retook the lead with two runs in the top of the eighth as graduate students Peter Matt and Davis recorded hits to pull Duke back in front at 10-8. The Blue Devils then outlasted the Chanticleers' attempt to rally in the final frame to secure the win and the weekend series, 10-9.

Freshmen pitchers Luke Fox, Nick Conte and Josh Allen performed well in their Duke debuts. Fox came out of the bullpen in relief during Game 1, striking out three and allowing one hit and one walk in 3.0 innings of work. Conte and Allen closed out the nightcap, combining for the final 2.2 innings allowing one unearned run and two walks while fanning five.

"Yesterday was a long game, a four-hour game," Pollard added. "The first game today was a three-and-a-half-hour game and then you fall down 5-0 early in Game 3. A lot of teams would have said, 'Okay, well today is not our day.' We didn't do that. I told our guys after the game that I've been a part of a lot of great wins at Duke and I would put this one up against any of them."

The Blue Devils are back in action Tuesday as they travel to Greenville, N.C., to take on East Carolina. The Pirates (3-0) swept Rhode Island during college baseball's opening weekend. Duke and ECU's first pitch is slated for 4 p.m. Fans can find the game on ESPN+ or listen to Chris Edwards on the TuneIn app.

Postgame Notes:

Duke's final game of the series lasted a total time of 4:46, marking the Blue Devils' longest game since a 4:55 outing against Wake Forest in 12 innings on March 24, 2019.
Nichols' six RBI were the most by a Blue Devil since Kennie Taylor matched the tally against Penn State in 2019.
Murray's triple was the third of his career, with the last one being in Game 2 of a doubleheader against Northwestern on Feb. 23, 2019.
Duke senior Michael Rothenberg reached base in all three games this weekend, extending his reached base streak to 27 consecutive games, dating back to 2019.
Sixteen positional players made an appearance throughout Duke's first weekend series.
The Blue Devils pitching staff recorded 26 strikeouts in the twin bill and is averaging 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings through the first series.
Duke and Coastal Carolina combined for 18 walks throughout the second game of the doubleheader. That game also saw 12 different pitchers take the mound.