Duke amassed 16 runs on 22 hits in the third game of its series sweep of Saint Bonaventure, but the team's solid pitching and defense were the keys to its 16-4 win at Jack Coombs Field Sunday.
In the top of the fifth inning, Duke freshman pitcher Jonathan Foreman relieved Jeremy Gould with the bases loaded and Duke (6-0) looking as if it were on the verge of losing its 4-2 lead.
After the Bonnies (0-3) scored yet another run, their left fielder Joe Rizzo appeared to hit a bloop single to right-center. Instead, Duke right fielder Jimmy Gallagher ran in from the deep outfield, stretched-out and caught the ball just inches off the ground.
"It was a big point in the game for us," Gallagher said. "We needed somebody to step up and make a play. Fortunately, the ball came my way, and I was able to make a nice little play."
Foreman allowed no earned runs and tallied three strikeouts over the next two and two thirds innings en route to his first career win. The defense backed him up throughout, as a diving stop by third baseman Brett Bartles and a subsequent 5-4-3 double play in the top of the seventh inning halted another Bonnies comeback effort, keeping the Blue Devil cushion at 7-4.
"That was a critical part in the game," head coach Sean McNally said. "If you look at the game at the end, you would see the score and be fooled. If you watched it all the way through, you'd know that was a tight game."
The offense certainly contributed, too, making Foreman's job easier as the Blue Devils racked up 10 runs on 11 hits during his time on the mound. The Blue Devils piled it on in the bottom of the seventh inning, doubling their score and taking a commanding 14-4 lead. After Gallagher drew a walk, first baseman Nate Freiman hit a two-run home run over the wall in right center to spark the Blue Devils' biggest inning.
"The other team's pitcher threw me a fastball, and I guess the wind held off for a second," Freiman said. "Everybody's been hitting the ball really well."
By game's end, every starter had at least one hit and all but Bartles had come around to score at least once.
The Blue Devils secured the sweep over Saint Bonaventure after defeating it 13-4 Friday and 14-6 Saturday. The undefeated start has the team buzzing with confidence and enthusiasm, especially because of the team's strong offensive performance in its first two series.
"A lot of times good hitting is contagious," McNally said. "You see guys going up there with a good approach, and I think that builds confidence throughout the lineup."
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