In the final game of the season, the baseball team’s problems were caused not by the Demon Deacons but rather by the Blue Devils’ own persistent demons.
Duke (14-39) capped off its season with a 10-1 loss to Wake Forest (26-28) in the first game of the ACC Tournament in Jacksonville, Fla., Tuesday. The same defensive problems that have plagued the team throughout the year continued to cripple the Blue Devils, as they allowed 10 runs—the first five of which were unearned—on only nine hits. The loss was the last for head coach Bill Hillier, who resigned from the program Wednesday after the worst season in his tenure.
“We definitely wanted to send him out in a better way,” junior Adam Murray said. “We wanted to make some type of run in the tournament, and we wanted to play better for him, so it’s disappointing.”
Wake Forest pitcher Charlie Mellias controlled the game from start to finish, giving up only one run on four hits. The sophomore threw 132 pitches in his second-career complete game, but the Blue Devils kept Mellias in the game by going three-up, three-down four times.
“He kept us off balance throughout the game by mixing in a lot of change-ups and their defense played us well,” sophomore J.J. Koterba said. “Their outfield was very well positioned because we hit a lot of solid shots, but we seemed to always hit it right at them.”
Things fell apart for Duke in the bottom of the fourth inning as the Demon Deacons, already leading 1-0, scored four runs on just one hit, giving Mellias plenty of cushion. Senior pitcher Greg Burke threw two costly wild pitches, which, compounded with his two walks, an error and a hit batsman, allowed Wake Forest to score two runs and load up the bases. After Burke was replaced by sophomore Danny Otero, Wake Forest shortstop Ben Ingold knocked in two runs with a single up the middle and extended the Demon Deacon lead to five.
Mellias allowed Duke one last chance in the sixth inning, when Wake Forest had a 5-1 advantage. With two away and a runner on first, Mellias hit back-to-back batters to load the bases, but Koterba lined out to right field to end the Duke threat.
“That was a big point in the game and he had a great at-bat—to put a swing like that on the ball with two strikes is a great at-bat,” said Murray, who led the Duke offense with a single and a double. “And he hit it hard, but unfortunately he hit right at the guy, and if that ball drops it may have been a whole different game.”
The Blue Devils finished the game feebly, failing to earn any hits in the final three innings of the game.
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