The cliche that pitching wins championships served Duke well early in the ACC season, as the Blue Devils jumped out to a 5-4 conference record after a series victory against then-No. 1 North Carolina.
Over the last two weekends, though, what was a strength has turned into an area of concern.
After dropping one ACC series to Wake Forest two weekends ago, Duke lost another this weekend against Clemson at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The Blue Devils gave up 24 runs in the three games, and despite winning Saturday, Duke was outscored by 10 runs in the series.
"It's frustrating," head coach Sean McNally said. "Our club is built around pitching, and it has been really solid all year long. But we have to be more aggressive and throw more strikes."
A lack of consistent play on the mound was the theme for the Blue Devils throughout the series. On Friday, Duke starter Christopher Manno gave up only seven hits in six innings, but two of those were home runs. The long ball accounted for three of the four earned runs charged to Manno before he was pulled, and the Blue Devils (20-11, 7-8 in the ACC) dropped the opener 7-3.
Despite the early deficit, however, Duke was still within two runs going into the eighth inning, led by multi-hit efforts from sophomore Jake Lemmerman and freshman Will Piwnica-Worms. Sophomore reliever Dennis O'Grady, however, allowed three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning that secured the win for Clemson (20-9, 9-6).
Duke appeared to rebound from not only its ACC losing streak, but also its pitching woes Saturday. Senior Andrew Wolcott limited the Tigers to three runs in six innings, and the bullpen secured a 10-7 win for the Blue Devils.
"Andrew's been a cornerstone guy of our pitching staff," McNally said. "He's the hardest worker on our pitching staff and has earned all the results he's gotten here as a senior because he's worked so hard. We lean very hard on him on Saturdays and he has not failed to deliver."
A second strong effort from Piwnica-Worms fueled the Duke offense, as the freshman recorded three RBIs and his fifth straight multi-hit game.
"As Will's gotten more experience at this level, he's gotten better and better offensively," McNally said. "He's really swinging the bat aggressively. I see the growing confidence in his eyes when he's in the box."
Junior Alex Hassan recorded two hits of his own and recorded the last four outs for the save. Senior catcher Matt Williams added two RBI and scored two runs.
The Blue Devils' momentum, however, quickly dissipated in the rubber game Sunday, as an early Blue Devil lead evaporated after a four-run third inning for the Tigers. Clemson eventually cruised to a 10-1 win to clinch the series.
Duke sophomore starter Ryan Knott struggled with his control, issuing four walks in two and one-third innings. Knott left the game with the bases loaded in the third inning and was charged with five earned runs on the day.
"That was certainly the theme... we just walked too many guys," McNally said.
The pitching struggles continued with the bullpen, as freshman Eric Pfisterer allowed three runs and two walks of his own in another two and one-third innings of work.
The Blue Devils know that their pitching will have to rebound in the second half of their ACC season for them to remain in contention in the competitive ACC.
"What we've learned from this stretch is you can't have an off day... to be competitive and win games in this league. The teams are too closely matched across the board," McNally said. "But I think we've learned we're capable of winning against anybody in this league, and that is enormously positive."
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