Tallon Ties Single Season Saves Record, No. 16 Duke Defeats No. 11 Miami, 5-3

Thursday, May 18

Coral Gables, FL

7 PM

Duke University

35-17, 16-11

Miami

35-18, 16-12

Duke

Miami

Tallon Ties Single Season Saves Record, No. 16 Duke Defeats No. 11 Miami, 5-3

5/18/2023 11:56:00 PM | Baseball

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DURHAM – Freshman James Tallon tallied his 11th save of the season, tying Kenny Koplove for the single season program record, working the final five outs of the game to defeat No. 11 Miami, 5-3. Graduate transfer Giovanni DiGiacomo singled to left field in top of the eighth inning to give Duke a 4-3 advantage, before Josh Solomon stole home on a double steal to increase the lead in the ninth, 5-3.

Sophomore Fran Oschell III picked up the win in relief, working 1.1 innings of one-hit baseball and striking out three, to improve to 4-0 on the year.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Miami opened the scoring on a two-run home run to left center field in the bottom of the second, 2-0.
In the top of the fourth inning, sophomore Alex Mooney hit a solo home run to left center field, 2-1.
The Hurricanes added to their lead in the bottom of the fourth with a solo home run to left field, 3-1.
Freshman Andrew Fischer hit a solo home run in the top of the sixth inning, 3-2.
In the top of the seventh, freshman Tyler Albright doubled down the line in right to score MJ Metz from third to tie the ballgame, 3-3.
Graduate transfer Giovanni DiGiacomo singled down the line in left to score Metz from third in the top of the eighth, 4-3.
In the top of the ninth, Josh Solomon stole home on a double steal to increase the lead to 5-3.

NOTES

Freshman Andrew Fischer returned to the lineup on Thursday evening after being sidelined for a month due to injury. He collected his first hit in over a month with a solo home run to right center field in the top of the sixth.
Sophomore Alex Mooney broke up the perfect game in the top of the fourth inning with a solo home run to left center field.
Junior Alex Stone extended his hitting streak to 26 games with a single up the middle in the top of the fourth inning.
Graduate transfer Alex Gow tied a season high seven strikeouts against No. 11 Miami on Thursday evening.
After Thursday's victory at No. 11 Miami, Duke is now 29-0 when leading after the seventh inning and 32-0 when leading after the eighth inning.
Freshman James Tallon tied the single season saves mark with his 11th of the season, recording the final five outs of the game.
By holding No. 11 Miami to just three hits on Thursday, it marks the lowest hit total for the Hurricanes this season.
The Blue Devils are now one home run away from tying the single season record of 90 set by the 1998 squad, after hitting two more home runs on Thursday.

QUOTES

"It let us take a collective exhale right there. I thought that was one of the best at bats of the season right there by Mooney. Gage Ziehl could really pitched a great game and Alex Gow really matched him tonight. He had all three pitches working tonight. We did a really good job there in the sixth to string some stuff together and get Ziehl out of the game. The way he was dealing early, I thought there was a chance they could go Ziehl to Walters tonight." – Head coach Chris Pollard on the start from Gow and the ability to grind out some at bats early.
"I mean unbelievable job by the backend of our bullpen tonight. We had 16 strikeouts against a team like that and it just doesn't happen when they are 26-4 going into today in this ballpark. It is just so much fun to watch them and I had a front row seat to a terrific ballgame." – On the job the bullpen did to shut down Miami's offense.

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