Duke doubles ACC win total with sweep of Notre Dame baseball
Duke baseball won just three ACC games this season prior to hosting Notre Dame for a three-game series this weekend.
The Blue Devils (16-20, 6-12) doubled their conference win total by completing a three-game sweep of the No. 10 Irish on Saturday in Durham, N.C. The Irish (21-8, 8-7) had won nine straight games before the disappointment at Duke.
Duke cruised to a 6-2 victory Saturday at Jack Coombs Field after taking a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Duke shortstop Alex Mooney opened the scoring in the first inning off Notre Dame starting pitcher Austin Temple (3-1) after hitting leadoff single. Mooney stole second base and advanced to third on a throwing error by catcher David LaManna. Then Mooney scored on an RBI groundout by third baseman Graham Pauley.
The Blue Devils opened a more comfortable lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. An RBI single by catcher Andrew Yu knocked Temple out of the game. Reliever Ryan McLinskey replaced him only to allow a two-run home run to right fielder Damon Lux.
In Temple's first loss of the season, he allowed four hits, three runs (two earned) and one walk in three innings with two strikeouts.
Duke extended its lead to 6-0 with an unearned run in the fifth inning and a sacrifice fly by first baseman Luke Storm in the sixth.
An ill-fated Notre Dame rally mustered two runs in the ninth inning. Designated hitter Jack Zyska plated two runners with a single.
Notre Dame will host Valparaiso (12-18) on Tuesday and Purdue Fort Wayne (10-23) on Wednesday before No. 23 Wake Forest (27-8) visits for a three-game weekend series.
Friday: Shreck sinks ND with 11th-inning, walk-off single
RJ Schreck’s one-out single in the bottom of the 11th scored Alex Mooney from second with the winning run as Duke outlasted Notre Dame, 4-3, Friday in the second game of an ACC baseball series in Durham, N.C.
Alex Rao (1-1) took the loss, pitching 4 ⅓ innings of relief. He issued a one-out walk to Mooney in the 11th. Aidan Tyrell relieved and hit Graham Pauley with a pitch. Schreck then delivered the game-winner for the Blue Devils.
Brooks Coetzee drove in all three Irish runs, two with a home run in the second and the third on a groundout fielder’s choice in the sixth. Irish starter John Michael Bertrand left after six innings of work with a 3-2 lead.
Duke tied the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the eighth on a solo home run by Luke Storm.
Spencer Myers went 3-for-6 and Carter Putz 2-for-5 for Notre Dame.
Thursday: Duke pummels ND in series opener
Light-hitting Duke found its rhythm at the plate early and often as the host Blue Devils took down Notre Dame, 15-5, Thursday in the opening game of a three-game ACC baseball series in Durham.
Duke came into the game as the nation’s No. 250 Division I team in batting average (.244) out of 293, and 230th in scoring (5.3 runs per game), but chased Irish starter Will Mercer with a three-run first inning.
The Blue Devils led 6-0 before the Irish could generate any offense. Notre Dame (21-6, 8-5) answered with four runs in the top of the fifth. It was 8-5 going to the bottom of the eighth when Duke unloaded for seven runs.
Duke banged out 16 hits and drew seven walks from a pitching staff that came into the series sixth nationally in ERA (3.08). Notre Dame’s winning streak was snapped at nine games.
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