Blue Devils Clinch ACC Series with 14-7 Win Over North Carolina

Saturday, April 5

Durham, N.C.

1 p.m.

Duke University

28-12, 0

North Carolina

29-11, 0

UNC

Duke

Cassidy Curd pitching vs. North Carolina

Blue Devils Clinch ACC Series with 14-7 Win Over North Carolina

4/5/2025 8:42:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

DURHAM, N.C. – No. 22 Duke defeated North Carolina, 14-7, Saturday afternoon at Duke Softball Stadium to clinch its fourth conference series victory of the season.

The Blue Devils extend their winning streak to seven straight games and improve to 28-12 on the year with a 9-5 mark in ACC play. The Tar Heels fall to 29-11 overall and 8-6 in conference action.

Offensively, junior D'Auna Jennings and sophomore Amiah Burgess led at the plate, each batting 3-for-4. The trio of graduate student Thessa Malau'ulu, senior Ana Gold and junior Aminah Vega each finished 3-for-5 and combined to drive in five of Duke's 14 runs and score eight.

The pitching staff of graduate student Dani Drogemuller, freshman Hailey Shuler and junior Cassidy Curd combined in the circle against the Tar Heels. Drogemuller earned the start and worked the first 2.2 innings, allowing just two runs off seven hits. Shuler replaced Drogemuller in the third and tossed 1.0 inning. Curd closed out the game with 3.1 scoreless innings, limiting North Carolina to just two hits while collecting a game-high three strikeouts.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Blue Devils' offense came out swinging, posting six runs off eight hits in the bottom of the first to take a 6-0 lead. Five of eight hits were RBI-doubles from Gold, Vega, junior KK Mathis, redshirt junior Jada Baker and redshirt sophomore Kairi Rodriguez.
North Carolina began to chip away at Duke's advantage, adding a run in the second and third before bursting through with five in the fourth to take a 7-6 lead heading into the bottom of the fourth.
Duke battled right back in the home half, moving two in scoring position on back-to-back singles and stolen base. Baker then reached on an infield single to score Vega from third and knot the score at 7-7. Two batters later, Jennings capitalized on a Tar Heel error and knocked in two additional runs to regain the lead, 9-7.
Burgess opened the bottom of the fifth with a solo home run over the left field wall for a 10-7 Blue Devil advantage. Gold followed three batters later with a three-run shot to left to extend the Blue Devils' edge to 13-7. Rodriguez slipped a two-out base hit into left-center field to plate Duke's fifth run of the frame and push the Blue Devils ahead, 14-7.
Curd sat down six of the final seven batters she faced, allowing one to reach on an infield single, to secure the win.

NOTES

Curd picked up her second win of the weekend series and moves to 10-6 on the year.
Drogemuller and Shuler made their 24th and 11th appearances in the circle, respectively.
Gold recorded her 10th multi-RBI performance and matched her season-high with four RBI on the day.
The Ballston Spa, N.Y., native sent out her second long ball of the weekend and has homered in three of her last four games.
Duke set a single-game program record with seven doubles during the contest, six of which came in the first inning.
The Blue Devils' 20 hits rank second on the all-time single game charts, behind the 24 tallied against James Madison in 2022.
Duke has won 13 straight matchups against the Tar Heels.

UP NEXT
Duke and North Carolina conclude the weekend series on Sunday. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN2 with Carol Bruggeman and Kevin Fitzgerald on the call.

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