Duke Baseball: Blue Devils get back on track with sweep of Pittsburgh

The Duke Baseball team got back in the win column this weekend with a series sweep over the Pittsburgh Panthers.

After getting swept in Chapel Hill by the North Carolina Tar Heels last weekend, the Duke Baseball team had to quickly regroup and try to take control of a once promising season.

The week started on Tuesday with a friendly exhibition against the Durham Bulls, the AAA team of the Tampa Bay Rays.

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Duke fell to the Bulls 6-1 in a hard fought game.

The Blue Devils were back in action the next night against the Eastern Carolina Pirates.

Both teams traded zeros for four and a half innings, but the Pirates struck for three runs in the bottom of the fifth and then another three runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a commanding 6-0 lead.

Duke could only respond with one run in the ninth inning and by then it was too little, too late as the Blue Devils dropped its fourth straight game 6-1.

Returning back to Durham, the Pittsburgh Panthers awaited the Blue Devils, but mother nature had other plans.

The first game of the three game series was postponed due to rain and the two teams were not playing three games in two days, starting with a double header on Saturday.

Ben Gross and Thomas Girard gave the Blue Devils everything they could ask for, and more.

Gross (4-2) picked up the win after throwing seven scoreless innings, scattering just two hits while walking four and striking out ten.

Girard (3) picked up the six out save and also did not allow a hit or a run while walking and striking out three, capping off Duke’s 2-0 win.

Matt Mervis and Chase Cheek cashed in for the Blue Devils, picking up the only two RBI on the day as Duke was able to score one run in the third inning and getting an insurance run in the sixth.

The second game of the doubleheader had a lot more offense, but the same result in a close Blue Devils close victory.

Duke jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but after Pittsburgh plated five runs in the fifth inning, the Blue Devils had its work cut out for them.

The Blue Devils chipped away with one run in the that fifth inning and another one in the seventh, followed by two runs in the eight and Bryce Jarvis (1) shut the door in the ninth inning to give the Blue Devils the 6-5 win.

Matt Dockman (2-1) picked up the win for Duke after throwing two innings of scoreless baseball in relief, allowing just one hit and striking out two.

Joey Loperfido led the way with a home-run and two RBI, while Kennie Taylor, Erikson Nichols, Chris Crabtree, and Ethan Murray all picked up one RBI apiece.

Sunday was another thriller at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park as it took extra innings to settle the final game of the series between the Blue Devils and the Panthers.

Unlike the first two games, it was Pittsburgh who jumped out to the early 2-0 lead, but Duke would quickly respond to take a 3-2 lead.

The lead would change hands quite often after that as Pitt retook a 5-3 lead before the Blue Devils went up 7-5.

Duke would keep that lead and extend it to 9-6 heading into the ninth inning, but the Blue Devils were unable to close out the game in nine innings as the Panthers struck for three runs in the ninth to send the game into extra innings.

In the bottom of the tenth inning, a walk-off single by Joey Loperfido would give the Blue Devils a 10-9 win and a series sweep, but it also gave head coach Chris Pollard career victory No. 600.

Eli Herrick (1-1) was the winning pitcher of record for the Blue Devils, pitching a scoreless one and one-third innings, striking out three batters.

Matt Mervis scored the winning run but he led the way at the plate for the Blue Devils going 4-for-5 with four RBI and a home-run.

Duke’s record now sits at 17-15 overall and 6-9 in the ACC with a trip to North Carolina Central coming up on Tuesday and then heading back home to Jack Coombs Field to host the Virginia Tech Hokies for a weekend series.

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