Full Team Effort Guides No. 6 Duke Past South Dakota State Friday

Friday, March 8

Durham, N.C.

2 p.m.

Duke University

18-1

South Dakota State

11-13

South Dakota State

Duke

Full Team Effort Guides No. 6 Duke Past South Dakota State Friday

3/8/2024 10:23:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

DURHAM – A full team effort guided No. 6 Duke (19-1, 3-0 ACC) past South Dakota State (11-14) in a doubleheader at Duke Softball Stadium on Friday.

The Blue Devils defeated the Jackrabbits, 3-0, in the opening game before collecting their seventh straight shutout in the nightcap, 7-0.

Sophomore Cassidy Curd and senior Jala Wright were strong in the circle, tossing 7.0 and 6.0 innings, respectively. Curd fanned a season-high 10 batters in the first game while Wright punched out nine in the second.

HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME ONE)

The opening game was a pitcher's duel between Curd and the Jackrabbits' Tori Kniesche. Both sides combined to allow just three batters to reach on three walks over the first four frames.
Senior Kelly Torres tallied the first hit of the game in the bottom of the fifth with a single through the left side.
A few batters later, freshman Amiah Burgess sent a double down the left-field line to score Torres and redshirt-sophomore Jada Baker, who reached on an infield single.
Junior Ana Gold then plated Burgess with an RBI single to centerfield to push the Blue Devils ahead, 3-0.
Curd sat down five of the final six batters she faced to seal the victory.

HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME TWO)

The Blue Devils were quick to take the lead in the second game, scoring three runs off three hits in the first inning.
In the bottom of the fourth, Duke loaded the bases using a pair of singles and a walk before senior Sarah Goddard dropped a single into right field.
Goddard was able to fly around the bases to score after a fielding error on South Dakota State, giving the Blue Devils a 7-0 advantage.
Wright's no-hitter was broken up in the sixth inning after relinquishing a pair of hits but grabbed the remaining two outs to leave the runners stranded.
Senior Lillie Walker took over in the circle in the top of the seventh to shut the door on the Jackrabbits.

NOTES

Curd tossed the sixth complete game of her career and improves to 3-1 on the year.
Wright holds a perfect 8-0 record and continues to lead Duke's pitching staff with 57 strikeouts in 43.2 innings this season.
Duke extends its winning streak to 19 games, the second longest in program history.
The Blue Devils' 14 shutouts on the year sits tied for first nationally with Florida.
Baker, Burgess and Goddard each tallied a pair of RBIs during the twin bill.

UP NEXT
The Blue Devils hit the road on Tuesday, traveling to Lynchburg, Va., to face Liberty in a non-conference matchup at Liberty Softball Stadium. First pitch is set for 4 p.m.

To stay up to date with Blue Devils softball, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeSOFTBALL"

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