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Courtesy of the ACC
Duke and North Carolina got started on their three-game series early this weekend and played a rubber match that went five extra innings.
The Tar Heels squeezed out the series win.
Duke (21-12, 8-7 ACC) dropped the first and third games of the series, both one-run games, with the latter being a 14-inning heartbreaker on Saturday night.
“I am exhausted, and I can only imagine how our guys feel. They laid their guts out there on the field,” Duke coach Chris Pollard said after the series finale. “There were some things that we could have done in the execution, but I am very proud of our fight and the competitive spirit they had today to battle these guys for 14 innings.”
Here are quick recaps of each game from this past weekend:
UNC 4, Duke 3
On Thursday night, Duke loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the ninth inning and got one run in, but a game-ending double play ended the Blue Devils’ comeback hopes.
In order, it went dropped-third-strike, walk and hit-by-pitch for Duke in the ninth. Andrew Yu hit into a fielder’s choice that pressed across one run, and set up runners at the corners with one out. AJ Gracia hit into the 6-3 double play that ended the game.
Duke’s only lead of this game was in the fourth, when Tyler Albright’s two-run home run made it a 2-1 game. The Blue Devils didn’t make it through the end of the inning with the lead, as UNC’s Jackson Van De Brake hit a two-run homer in the bottom half.
UNC’s insurance run in the eighth, which wound up being the difference in the score, scored on a two-out error by second baseman Jake Berger.
Owen Proksch gave up three runs in his four-inning start. Reid Easterly followed him with three scoreless innings; the unearned run late in the game was charged to Ryan Higgins.
Duke 9, UNC 5
On Friday night, Duke scored in six of seven innings, starting with the second, to even the series.
Ben Miller was 3-for-5 with a couple of solo homers that accounted for Duke’s last two runs. Yu had Duke’s only other homer, also a solo shot.
Macon Winslow went 3-for-5 with two RBI, driving in Duke’s first run after UNC took a two-run lead in the first inning. Gracia, Albright and Yu each had two-hit games, while Ben Rounds had a two-RBI game.
Andrew Healy pitched four innings, allowing all five of UNC’s runs (three were earned). He only gave up three hits, but also surrendered three walks.
Kyle Johnson for one inning, and then Gabe Nard and James Tallon for two innings each, combined for five shutout innings out of Duke’s bullpen. Nard (5-1) earned the decision for his two innings, in which he allowed one hit and one walk with four strikeouts.
Tallon got the save by retiring the last six UNC batters in order, four of them via strikeout.
UNC 8, Duke 7 (14 innings)
On Saturday night, Duke rallied for three runs in the ninth inning to tie the game but lost in the 14th.
The good part first: Duke’s first two batters of the ninth walked, followed by three straight singles from Miller, Jake Hyde and Albright — the latter two driving in runs. Duke tied the game on a fielder’s choice groundout by Rounds, and the top of the ninth ended with Yu grounding into a double play.
The bad part next: Duke loaded the bases with one out in the top of the 14th but failed to score. The Tar Heels won it with a leadoff walk, sac bunt, and single.
Duke led 4-3 after four innings, getting a two-run homer by Gracia and scoring a couple of runs on an error and fielder’s choice.
UNC scored two runs in the sixth to get the lead, on a single by Alex Madera and a wild pitch. The Tar Heels tacked on two more to make it a 7-4 game in the eighth, those scoring on an error and an infield single.
Albright was 2-for-4 with three walks, scoring twice. Gracia was also on base five times, going 3-for-5 with a pair of walks. Miller was 2-for-6.
Duke reliever Edward Hart gave up the game-winning hit, though the runner was the responsibility of Max Stammel (0-1).
Easterly pitched three innings and allowed two unearned runs in relief. Starter Henry Zatkowski pitched five innings and allowed five runs (four earned) on eight hits and a walk. Tallon, Nard, Ryan Calvert and Higgins all had scoreless appearances out of Duke’s bullpen.
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