Mooney's Big Fly Levels Series, Pollard Clinches 700th Career Win

Friday, March 24

Chapel Hill, NC

6 PM

Duke University

15-8, 4-4

North Carolina

17-6, 3-3

Duke

North Carolina

Mooney's Big Fly Levels Series, Pollard Clinches 700th Career Win

3/24/2023 10:38:00 PM | Baseball

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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Sophomore shortstop Alex Mooney hit the game-winning three-run home run in the top of the eighth inning, as Duke downed No. 15 North Carolina, 8-5, to level the series and earn head coach Chris Pollard's 700th career victory.

Sophomore righty Fran Oschell III earned the win on Friday evening, working 2.2 innings out of the bullpen, allowing two hits and striking out five batters. Freshman James Tallon picked up his fourth save of the season, completing the four-out save without allowing a hit and striking out three.

HOW IT HAPPENED

North Carolina opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning with a single up the middle, 1-0.
Senior Damon Lux tied the ballgame in the top of the fifth, singling to left field to score Chad Knight from third, 1-1. Graduate transfer Giovanni DiGiacomo singled to right field to give Duke the lead, 2-1.
Freshman Andrew Fischer hit his team leading seventh home run in the top of the sixth inning, a solo shot to right field to extend the Blue Devils' lead, 3-1.
North Carolina regained the lead in the bottom of the sixth, scoring four runs to take a 5-3 lead.
Lux cut the Tar Heels lead in half with a solo home run to left field to lead off the top of the seventh, 5-4.
DiGiacomo tied the ballgame in the top of the eighth inning, grounding into a fielder's choice, 5-5. Alex Mooney gave Duke the lead with a three-run home run to right center field, 8-5.

NOTES

Sophomore southpaw Jonathan Santucci tallied his 100th career strikeout on Friday to end the first inning.
Freshman Andrew Fischer made his first career start at third base, finishing the day 1-for-4 with a home run and a walk. Fischer's seven home runs are the most by a freshman under coach Pollard, after Devin Obee hit six home runs in 2022.
Alex Mooney hit the game-winning home run on Friday, a three-run blast to right center field in the top of the eighth inning. Mooney's big fly was his second of the season.
Graduate Damon Lux led off the seventh inning for Duke with a solo home run to left field, the second consecutive inning for the Blue Devils with a home run to lead off.
Sophomore Fran Oschell III earned the win on Friday night out of the bullpen, working 2.2 innings and striking out five batters along the way.
Freshman James Tallon picked up his fourth save of the season, earning a four-out save to level the series.
Head coach Chris Pollard earned career victory number 700 against No. 15 North Carolina on Friday.

QUOTES

"We had really good poise this weekend. Out of all the games we have played this season, it felt like a regional or super regional atmosphere, and you are on the road. We have bent, but don't break." – Head coach Chris Pollard the atmosphere of the game tonight and the resiliency of the team.
"It was electric. The stuff was real and that was about the longest he [Oschell] has pitched. He held his stuff really well which is a good sign for us. He went right at them with 96, 97 miles per hour and picked us up in a big spot." – On the job Fran Oschell III did on the mound to earn the win.
"He [Mooney] deserves that moment. He's done such a great job with the leadership of our team and the fact that we have been so poised and tough is credit to him. It was really neat for him to have that moment." – On the three-run home run Alex Mooney hit in the eighth inning.