Johnson Shines, Duke Punches Ticket to Regional Championship Sunday

Saturday, May 31

Athens, Ga.

6 p.m.

Duke University

39-19

Georgia

43-16

Duke

Georgia Bulldogs

Johnson Shines, Duke Punches Ticket to Regional Championship Sunday

6/1/2025 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Postgame Notes (PDF)

ATHENS, Ga. – Sophomore left-hander Kyle Johnson shined on the mound in his first career postseason start, dominating a Georgia (43-16) lineup that entered play leading the country in home runs, as Duke (39-19) punched its ticket to the Athens Regional Championship on Sunday evening, 6-3.

Georgia opened the scoring in the bottom of the second inning, hitting a solo home run to right center field, 1-0. The Blue Devils immediately responded in the top of the third inning, as Ben Miller hit a three-run home run to center field over the batter's eye, 3-1.

In the top of the fifth inning, Wallace Clark hit a solo home run to right field to extend the Blue Devils' lead, 4-1. Johnson exited the ballgame in the sixth inning, working five innings of three-hit ball, allowing two solo home runs and striking out six batters. He improved to 4-3 on the season and won his first regional start.

The Bulldogs cut the Duke lead in half in the bottom of the sixth inning, before the next two frames were passed off to Mark Hindy on the mound. Hindy worked 1.1 innings, scattering two hits and striking out a pair of batters. Junior James Tallon was called on in the bottom of the seventh, stranding a pair of runners to end the frame. He went on to collect his second save of the season, working a clean eighth inning, before shutting down the ballgame with a strikeout and a flyout in the ninth.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Georgia opened the scoring in the bottom of the second inning, 1-0.
Duke responded in the top of the third inning, as Ben Miller hit a three-run home run to center field, 3-1.
In the top of the fifth inning, Wallace Clark hit a solo home run to right field, 4-1.
The Bulldogs cut the lead in half in the bottom of the sixth inning, 4-2.
In the top of the ninth inning, Clark hit a solo home run to right-center field. Jake Hyde singled through the left side to score AJ Gracia from third, 6-2.
Georgia scored a run in the bottom of the ninth, 6-3.

NOTES

The Blue Devils improved to 35-25 in the NCAA Tournament, 17-14 under head coach Chris Pollard, and are now 5-1 against the Bulldogs all-time in the postseason. Duke also improved to 6-1 in two trips to Athens in the postseason.
Sophomore Kyle Johnson started his first NCAA Tournament game on Saturday, working five innings of three-hit baseball and punching out six Bulldogs. He improved to 4-3 on the season and gave Duke a jolt to advance to the Regional Final on Sunday.
Graduate Ben Miller finished the day 2-for-4 with a run scored, three RBI, and added a hit-by-pitch. Miller crushed a three-run home run to center field to give Duke the lead in the top of the third inning. He becomes the third player in program history to hit 20-plus home runs in a single season, while moving into a tie for second all-time with Nate Freiman (2009).
Junior James Tallon worked the final 2.2 innings, allowing one run on four hits and striking out five batters to collect his second save of the season. With his save on Saturday, Tallon has moved into second all-time with 14 career saves.
Senior Wallace Clark registered a 4-for-5 day at the plate, scoring three runs and blasting two solo home runs. It marks the second multi-home run effort of his career and the first in the postseason.

UP NEXT

Duke advances to the Athens Regional Championship game on Sunday evening at Foley Field. The Blue Devils will face the winner of Sunday afternoon's Oklahoma State and Georgia elimination game. First pitch for the Regional Championship is scheduled for 6 p.m.

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