Blue Devil arms put out Flames

Spurred by the performance of sophomore pitcher Eric Pfisterer, Duke kept its nonconference road record unblemished by downing Liberty 4-1 Tuesday night.

For the Blue Devils (22-16), Pfisterer’s play was without question the highlight of the night. Allowing only five total baserunners in eight innings of work, Pfisterer earned his first road victory of the season.

“Eric was outstanding,” head coach Sean McNally said. “He pitched with his fastball, but commanded it well and attacked the zone. I really liked his aggressiveness, and as the game went on, he just got better and better.”

Despite the lack of production from the bulk of the offense, Duke’s Nos. 8 and 9 hitters came through in the clutch. Freshman Eric Brady and junior Dennis O’Grady each had two hits, two steals and an RBI on the night. Most importantly, however, each of those RBIs came with two outs and a runner in scoring position.

“Those two guys [Brady and O’Grady] gave us a spark,” McNally said. “Those guys were ready to hit, they were aggressive at the plate and they were the key for us. One through nine, you never know when you are going to be up in a big spot. Tonight was their night and they did a good job getting the guys in.”

Next for the Blue Devils lies another road series, this one against Wake Forest. While the Demon Deacons have struggled on the season, going just 10-29 overall and 2-16 in the ACC, the conference rivalry will likely provide a tougher matchup than numbers would indicate.

When asked about the weekend, McNally stressed the importance of the Liberty matchup in preparing the team.

“[Wake Forest is] an important series for us and I think tonight prepared us well.... We know we have to be at our best on the weekends, and I think we feel good about where we are at right now.”