Duke Levels Series, Tops Wake Forest, 11-2

Saturday, April 17

Durham, N.C.

3 P.M.

Duke University

15-16, 0

Wake Forest

12-16, 0

Wake Forest

Duke

Duke Levels Series, Tops Wake Forest, 11-2

4/17/2021 6:45:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score Season Stats Coach Pollard Postgame

DURHAM – Senior Joey Loperfido and graduate student Chase Cheek each recorded four hits as the Duke baseball team powered past Wake Forest, 11-2, to level the series on Saturday at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park in downtown Durham.

Loperfido and Cheek led the Blue Devils offensively, who matched their season-high with 17 hits. Loperfido finished 4-for-5 and was a home run shy of the cycle and matched his career-high with five RBIs. Cheek also went 4-for-5 with two doubles and matched his career high in hits.

Junior Jack Carey recorded his ninth start of the season, allowing just one run on seven hits and two walks in 5.2 innings pitched. The Summit, N.J., native struck out a career-high nine during his time on the hill.

Duke wasted no time breaking open the scoring, putting up a pair of runs in each of the first two innings. In the opening frame, Loperfido reached on a single in the leadoff spot before scoring on an RBI single by senior Michael Rothenberg. Cheek scored Rothenberg from first in the next at bat with a double off the left field wall.

In the second, Loperfido hit a double to left center to score senior Chris Crabtree and redshirt junior Wil Hoyle and double Duke's lead. Wake Forest pulled one back in the top of the third to make it a 4-1 Duke advantage.

The Blue Devils doubled their score in the fourth inning, using five hits to score four and take an 8-1 lead. Crabtree touched home on an RBI double to left field by junior RJ Schreck before Rothenberg hit a three-run home run over the wall in right field.

Wake Forest pulled one back in the top of the seventh, but Duke responded with three more of its own in the bottom half of the inning. A double by Cheek and two walks loaded the bases for Loeprfido, who hit a three-RBI triple to extend the Blue Devil's lead, 11-2.

Sophomore Marcus Johnson closed the game for Duke, striking out four in two hitless innings pitched. His four punchouts were a career high.

With the series at 1-1, Duke and Wake Forest will play the rubber game on Sunday at the DBAP. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra.

Postgame Notes:

10 of Duke's 11 runs came with two outs.
Loperfido recorded four hits in a game for the third time in his career and the first time since April 6, 2019 against Pitt.
Cheek matched his career-high of four hits, last done at Boston College on April 27, 2019.
Rothenberg's three-run home run in the fourth inning came off the bat at 104 mph and traveled 404 ft.
Carey set a career-high with nine strikeouts. His 5.2 innings pitched was his second-longest outing of the season, previously six innings at Notre Dame.
Loperfido reached base for the team-leading 24th-consecutive game.

#GoDuke