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Duke Baseball: Tempers flare and Blue Devils get swept in Chapel Hill

By Kevin Connelly

MIAMI, FL - MARCH 28: A detailed view of the MLB batting practice baseballs prior to the Opening Day game between the Miami Marlins and the Colorado Rockies at Marlins Park on March 28, 2019 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL - MARCH 28: A detailed view of the MLB batting practice baseballs prior to the Opening Day game between the Miami Marlins and the Colorado Rockies at Marlins Park on March 28, 2019 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /
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The Duke Baseball team got swept by the North Carolina Tar Heels in Chapel Hill and tempers flared in the process.

Well, it wasn’t the best weekend to be a Duke Blue Devil fan, however, on the diamond the week did get off to a promising start.

The Duke Baseball team responded to a crushing series loss to Wake Forest with a road victory over Davidson, the Blue Devils’ second win over the Wildcats this season.

Duke defeated Davidson 7-2 behind an excellent start from Cooper Stinson.

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Stinson (1-1) pitched seven shutout innings, allowing only one hit, walking three, and striking out ten Davidson batters.

Hunter Davis (2) picked up the final four outs for his second save of the season.

At the plate the Blue Devils were led by a 3-for-4 day from Matt Mervis including a home-run and two RBI.

Kennie Taylor, Michael Rothenberg, and Kyle Gallagher all had one RBI a piece.

The Blue Devils then took the trip to Chapel Hill for a weekend series and Friday night was a classic pitchers duel.

Duke’s Ben Gross and North Carolina’s Tyler Baum were excellent, but only one could come away victorious and it was the Tar Heels, by the slimmest margin of 1-0.

The Heels struck in the bottom of the seven from an RBI from Dylan Harris.

Gross (3-2) took the loss, after his six and two-thirds innings, allowing the one run on just two hits  while walking two and striking out four.

Baum (5-2) got all but one out after his amazing eight and two-thirds performance of shutout baseball, surrendering just two hits and two walks, striking out six.

Saturday was another nail biter between the two teams, which was capped off by a North Carolina late comeback.

After six innings, the Tar Heels had a 5-1 lead, but the Blue Devils would explode for six runs of its own in the top of the seventh inning to take a 7-5 lead.

However, the Carolina offense would have an answer while the Duke offense became dormant and three straight runs for North Carolina led to an 8-7 victory.

Every Blue Devils pitcher that took the mound surrendered at least one run, but it was Thomas Girard (0-4) who took the loss for Duke.

The North Carolina offense didn’t slow down in the series finale on Sunday.

Duke jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but Carolina to respond with three runs in the bottom of the fourth.

The Blue Devils then had an answer with two more runs in the top of the fifth, taking a 4-3 lead, but it was all Carolina after that, plating five runs in the bottom half of the inning for a 8-4 advantage.

Duke had one last gasp in them with two runs in the top of the seventh with two runs, but the threat of a Blue Devil comeback was quickly shutdown after Carolina scored eight runs in the seventh, leading to a 16-6 victory.

The bad weekend has dropped Duke to 14-14 and just 3-9 in ACC play after such a promising start to the season.

The Blue Devils will try and regroup and respond as Duke will play the Durham Bulls in an exhibition game on Tuesday and get back into competitive games on Wednesday with a trip to Eastern Carolina University before hosting the Pittsburgh Panthers for a weekend series.

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