Weekend recap: Duke avoids sweep with Sunday win over FSU
After a thrilling mid-week win over East Carolina, Duke’s baseball team dropped two of three games in an ACC series at Florida State this weekend.
The Blue Devils avoided the sweep with the bats coming alive Sunday afternoon.
Duke is 18-12 on the season and5-7 in league play.
Here are quick recaps of each game this weekend:
Florida State 3, Duke 1
On Friday, the Blue Devils dropped the first game of the series as Aidan Weaver took the mound setting a career high in strikeouts as he punched out 11 in 5 2/3 innings, giving up two runs.
The Blue Devils’ bats couldn’t come through in a pitchers’ duel as FSU’s ace, Wes Mendes, went 6 2/3 innings, allowing four hits and one walk, with 12 punchouts.
The Seminoles picked up two runs in the sixth inning with a couple of RBI singles and added another run on a wild pitch from the Blue Devils.
Tyler Albright’s RBI double in the eighth wasn’t enough.
Florida State 12, Duke 11
On Saturday, an offensive battle much different than Friday’s matchup broke out. The Blue Devils dropped the series in what was a high-scoring affair.
Jack Hedrick started for Duke and went 1 1/3 innings, allowing five runs on five hits.
The Blue Devils were down early but battled back from multi-run deficits, but it wasn’t enough as they fell short.
Kaden Smith, Collin Anderson and Coltin Quagliano led the Blue Devils with three hits a piece.
Michael DiMartini smoked his third home run of the season with a two-run shot in the fourth inning to regain the lead.
This was a back-and-forth game which led to the Seminoles pulling away in the late innings as the Blue Devils couldn’t get back in front.
Duke 11, Florida State 4
On Sunday, Andy Leon and the Blue Devils’ bats helped the team avoid the sweep.
Leon gave the team a strong outing of 5 1/3 innings, allowing three hits and nine strikeouts, matching a career high.
Matthew Strand continued his huge month of March Madness as he had a huge grand slam, racking up his 22nd RBI of the month.
Thanks to contributions from the whole team, the Blue Devils and Smith they found themselves up 7-0 midway through the matchup.
The Blue Devils once again loaded the bases in the top of the seventh and another run came into score on a sacrifice fly.
Ben Dean closed out the game for the Blue Devils in the bottom of ninth allowing just one run due to a wild pitch but he then struck out the final two batters faced to give the team the win.
