Duke ended its season in style Wednesday, using a ninth-inning rally to walk off with a 5-4 win over UNC-Asheville at Jack Coombs Field.
Trailing 4-2 entering the final frame, the Blue Devils (15-40) scored three runs on a two-run, two-out double by senior Javier Socorro and a wild pitch to come away with the dramatic victory.
"I'm just really happy for this group of kids," manager Sean McNally said. "To walk somebody off on our home field, with a group of guys that's put so much time in and working to get the most out of it, it's a great feeling. I'm very happy for them and very proud of them."
Daniel Palmer, one of three seniors in Duke's starting lineup, led off the bottom of the ninth with a four-pitch walk. Jimmy Gallagher singled and Jonathan Anderson beat out a bunt to load the bases with nobody out and the heart of the order coming up.
Bulldog closer Ben Buchanan (4-5), however, bore down, inducing a pop-up from Brett Bartles and striking out Nate Freiman. Socorro, however, wasn't ready for his career to end. The senior lined a double down the left field line, driving in the game-tying runs. With senior Adam Murray-who already had three hits on the day-at the plate, Buchanan uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Anderson to score the winning run from third.
"It's very special for our seniors," McNally said. "Danny started off with a walk and for Javier, with two outs, to get an RBI double to keep us alive, and for Adam to have such a great day. It was great for those guys to make some memories that they're going to cherish on their last day."
UNC-Asheville (24-29) broke a 2-2 tie in the top of the ninth on two-out RBI hits from Kevin Mattison and Joe Pellington off freshman Andrew Wolcott (2-5), who got the win in relief of Tony Bajoczky. Bajoczky pitched seven innings, allowing only one earned run and striking out nine Bulldogs.
"Tony was outstanding," McNally said. "He wanted the ball today, wanted to pitch well in this last game [of the season]."
The Blue Devils broke a 1-1 tie in the fifth on a solo home run by Gallagher, the sophomore's sixth blast of the year. UNC-Asheville tied it in the seventh on Pellington's first run-scoring hit of the game, an infield single that scored John Watlington.
The ninth-inning rally, however, ended Duke's season-worst 10-game losing streak on the last day of the year.
The Blue Devils had been shut down Tuesday by Bulldog starter Tim Johnson (2-7), who allowed two runs on seven hits in seven innings of work in a 14-2 Asheville victory. Duke senior Jim Perry (0-7) took the loss.
The Bulldogs broke the game open with four runs on five hits in the third inning. Two more crossed the plate in the sixth and seven runs in the final two frames provided the final margin of victory.
The other nine losses of the Blue Devils' losing streak all had come against teams ranked in the top 10 in the country. Duke was swept at home by top-ranked North Carolina and seventh-ranked Clemson before dropping three straight on the road at No. 8 Georgia Tech last weekend. The Blue Devils remained competitive but were not able to get over the top and earn a victory against the ACC's elite.
The series in Atlanta was especially frustrating for Duke, which either held the lead or was tied after the fifth inning in each game.
"It was something different every day," McNally said. "We swung the bats well enough but didn't get the big hit. We pitched well in spurts, but not well enough at the end. In all phases of the game, we've got to do a little bit better to win those kinds of games.... This league is a tremendous challenge and it's a great place to grow and get better."
Duke finished the ACC season with a 6-24 mark, placing the team 11th in the 12-team league. Only the top eight advance to the ACC Championships.
"[The ACC Championships] is the next step for this program," McNally said. "It's going to take a lot of work for us to get into that top eight. It's definitely a goal for us next year and beyond."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.