BUIES CREEK, N.C. – No. 17 Duke (4-4) had the winning run at the plate in the top of the ninth inning on Tuesday, falling to Campbell (3-5), 9-6, at Jim Perry Stadium.
The Camels opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning, before
Tyler Albright flared a single to right field, scoring
Jake Berger from second to tie the ballgame, 1-1. In the bottom half of the frame, Campbell put the pressure on the Blue Devils' pitching staff, scoring four runs to take a 5-1 advantage, before adding a run across the third and fourth innings.
In the top of the sixth,
Ben Miller hit a double down the line to score
Ben Rounds from first before Berger reached on an error and advanced to second to score Miller from third, 7-3. The Camels immediately responded in the bottom half, scoring a pair of runs to stretch the lead to 9-3.
In the seventh, Duke had opportunities to take the lead, ending the seventh and eighth innings with traffic on the paths. Junior
Andrew Healy was pegged with the loss, falling to 0-1 on the season. He worked 1.2 innings, allowing five runs on four hits and walking two batters.
The Duo of
Gavin Brown and
Edward Hart covered the final three innings on Tuesday, combining to allow one run to score on two hits, striking out a pair and giving the Blue Devils offense a chance to rally late.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Campbell opened the scoring in the bottom of the first, 1-0.
- Duke responded in the top of the second inning, as Tyler Albright flared a single to right field, scoring Jake Berger from second, 1-1.
- Campbell regained the lead in the bottom of the second, 5-1.
- The Camels added a run in the bottom of the third inning, 6-1.
- Campbell added a run in the bottom of the fourth inning, 7-1.
- In the top of the sixth, Ben Miller hit a double down the line to score Ben Rounds from first. Berger reached and advanced to second on an error to score Miller from third, 7-3.
- The Camels tacked on in the bottom of the sixth inning, 9-3.
- In the top of the seventh inning, AJ Gracia singled to center field to score Wallace Clark from third. Jake Hyde singled to left center field to score a pair, 9-6.
NOTES
- Tuesday marked the first time this season that Duke has failed to hit a home run, snapping a seven-game streak.
- Junior Andrew Healy was pegged with the loss, falling to 0-1 on the season. He worked 1.2 innings, allowing five runs on four hits and walking two batters. He failed to register a punchout against the Camels.
- Five Blue Devils registered a multi-hit contest against Campbell, as Wallace Clark (2), Ben Rounds (2), Ben Miller (2), Macon Winslow (2), and Tyler Albright (2) all hit the mark. Clark, Rounds, and Albright have now recorded multi-hits in four contests this season, while Winslow and Miller recorded their second.
- Junior Edward Hart pitched a clean inning in relief against Campbell, striking out one batter.
QUOTES
- "This game knows. The game knows when you do things with attention to detail. The game knows when you communicate; it knows when you play as hard as you possibly can. This game rewards that, so we need to quit looking around thinking we are unlucky. You make your own luck with how hard you play. At times tonight, particularly at the beginning of the ballgame, that wasn't there, and then we decided to turn it on late. It has to be there from pitch number one, and it is something that we will get cleaned up starting tomorrow." – Head coach Chris Pollard on Tuesday's contest at Campbell.
UP NEXT
- Duke returns home to host Liberty on Wednesday afternoon at Jack Coombs Field. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.
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