Weekend recap: Duke drops series at N.C. State
Duke dropped two games of a three-game baseball series at N.C. State this weekend.
The Blue Devils (22-16, 8-10 ACC) took it on the chin in the first two games, losing 10-4 and 18-5. They rallied to avoid a sweep by winning 3-2 on Sunday.
That keeps Duke in the middle of the pack in the ACC standings. Duke has won two series and lost four, though it hasn’t been swept this season.
Here are quick recaps of each game from this weekend:
N.C. State 10, Duke 4
On Friday, Duke scored the game’s first run when Jake Lambdin stole home in the first inning.
The lead was short lived. N.C. State (24-12, 8-7) led 7-1 after three innings.
The Wolfpack tagged Aidan Weaver (4-4) for six runs in two-plus innings. He gave up five hits and three walks, and also hit a batter.
Marcello Mastroianni relieved him and gave up another run in his inning of work. David Boisvert only allowed one hit in 2 1/3 innings, but gave up two runs. Edward Hart gave up an unearned run.
Kaden Smith hit a two-run double that cut N.C. State’s lead to 7-3 in the top of the fifth. Adin Zorn singled in a run to pull Duke to within three in the sixth.
The Wolfpack scored the game’s last three runs in the bottom of the sixth to cruise to the series-opening win.
N.C. State 18, Duke 5 (7 innings)
On Saturday, Duke again scored a run in the top of the first when RJ Hamilton hit a solo homer.
It was 6-1 by the end of the inning.
N.C. State sent nine to the plate in the first, with four hits and two walks amounting to six runs against Peter Lemke (1-3). The Wolfpack kept pouring on runs with two in the second, three in the third, two in the fifth and five in the sixth for the run-rule victory.
Lemke exited in the second, having allowed two more unearned runs. Jack Hedrick gave up five runs on seven hits, and Jordan Regulski gave up N.C. State’s other five runs.
Duke 3, N.C. State 2
On Sunday, N.C. State tied the game in the bottom of the eighth.
Kaden Smith won it for the Blue Devils in the ninth.
Smith hit a solo homer to lead off the final inning. His team-leading ninth blast of the season came on a 3-1 pitch and was pulled over the fence in left field.
Ben Dean (6-0) picked up the win, entering the game with two outs in the eighth and closing out the Wolfpack in the ninth. He gave up a leadoff single and a two-out walk, and then the runners moved up to second and third on a wild pitch. But he struck out Rett Johnson to end the game and salvage a win in the series.
Duke’s other runs scored in the first two innings. Lambdin scored on an error in the first, and Zorn hit a solo homer in the second.
Andy Leon gave the Blue Devils six strong innings to start the game. He gave up two hits and a walk, allowing one run. The Wolfpack tied the game off of Roman DiGiacomo, who pitched 1 2/3 between Leon and Dean.
