Duke Baseball swept by Miami

The Blue Devils’ second ACC series at Durham Bulls Athletic Park didn’t quite go as planned, as Duke was swept in a three-game set by conference powerhouse Miami.

The No. 11 Hurricanes (14-5, 5-1 in the ACC) eked out a 3-1 win in a pitchers’ duel Friday at DBAP behind a complete game from starter Chris Hernandez, who allowed just two hits in all nine innings of work. Duke’s Michael Ness suffered the loss despite giving up two runs on five innings, a typically solid start from the senior.

Saturday and Sunday’s contests, meanwhile, belonged to the bats, and Miami did just well enough at the plate to pull out two more wins. The Hurricanes dominated Duke (12-7, 2-4) in an 11-3 thrashing Saturday, but Sunday, the Blue Devils went into the ninth inning even with Miami before allowing a single run in the top of the frame. Hurricane pitcher David Gutierrez shut down the Blue Devils in the bottom of the inning to get the save.

First baseman Jeremy Gould was Duke’s best performer Sunday, as the senior scored two runs and stroked two hits. Defense was surprisingly an issue, however, as the Blue Devils committed three errors in front of 596 people at DBAP.