Duke entered this weekend’s series with No. 16 Clemson having won four of its last five contests, including a series win over ACC opponent N.C. State. But the Blue Devils’ momentum came to a screeching halt in front of over 4,000 fans for each matchup in Doug Kingsmore Stadium as they dropped all three games of the series to the Tigers. Duke head coach Sean McNally cited the hostile road environment as an obstacle, but not as an excuse for the results.
“It was our first road series in the ACC,” McNally said. “However, we did not play well in any phases; it is unacceptable to be swept. We will use this as a learning experience and be better the next time out.”
The Blue Devils’ pitching had been a strength thus far this season, with the team (15-7, 2-4 in the ACC) having allowed nine runs in only two of its previous 19 contests. In this weekend’s series, Clemson (10-7, 3-3) scored 34 runs in three games, reaching or topping the nine-run mark in every contest. On Friday, freshman Drew Van Orden was knocked out of the game in the third inning after allowing eight runs. The Blue Devils went on to lose that matchup 9-6—the narrowest of this past weekend’s deficits.
Dennis O’Grady took the mound Saturday with an outstanding 1.80 ERA, but was tagged for six runs in just three innings before being taken out of the game. After Duke briefly took a 6-5 lead in the top of the fourth, O’Grady fell apart and reliever Eric Pfisterer was unable to stop the bleeding, as the Tigers racked up seven runs in the fourth inning. The Blue Devils could not battle back from the 12-6 deficit and wound up losing 16-7.
Duke sent out its other ace Sunday, Marcus Stroman, who sported an impressive 0.64 ERA through 14 innings of work this season. But Clemson got the best of him. Stroman allowed six runs through just under five innings while the Tigers’ starter Scott Firth took a shutout into the seventh inning. Clemson’s pitching staff limited the Blue Devils to just three hits in Sunday’s contest, capping off the series sweep.
Duke’s pitching was not aided by its defense, which had been typically reliable this season. After committing 19 errors through the first 19 games of the season, the Blue Devils committed five errors in this series. Ultimately, though, 29 of the allowed 34 runs were earned, showing that pitching was the heart of the problem this weekend. Still, McNally maintains a positive outlook and believes that pitching will remain a strength of the team.
“The reality is, top to bottom, we did not pitch well,” McNally said. “We were not aggressive in the strike zone. We are going to have to be moving forward.”
Duke entered this weekend’s series with No. 16 Clemson having won four of its last five contests, including a series win over ACC opponent N.C. State. But the Blue Devils’ momentum came to a screeching halt in front of over 4,000 fans for each matchup in Doug Kingsmore Stadium as they dropped all three games of the series to the Tigers. Duke head coach Sean McNally cited the hostile road environment as an obstacle, but not as an excuse for the results.
“It was our first road series in the ACC,” McNally said. “However, we did not play well in any phases; it is unacceptable to be swept. We will use this as a learning experience and be better the next time out.”
The Blue Devils’ pitching had been a strength thus far this season, with the team (15-7, 2-4 in the ACC) having allowed nine runs in only two of its previous 19 contests. In this weekend’s series, Clemson (10-7, 3-3) scored 34 runs in three games, reaching or topping the nine-run mark in every contest. On Friday, freshman Drew Van Orden was knocked out of the game in the third inning after allowing eight runs. The Blue Devils went on to lose that matchup 9-6—the narrowest of this past weekend’s deficits.
Dennis O’Grady took the mound Saturday with an outstanding 1.80 ERA, but was tagged for six runs in just three innings before being taken out of the game. After Duke briefly took a 6-5 lead in the top of the fourth, O’Grady fell apart and reliever Eric Pfisterer was unable to stop the bleeding, as the Tigers racked up seven runs in the fourth inning. The Blue Devils could not battle back from the 12-6 deficit and wound up losing 16-7.
Duke sent out its other ace Sunday, Marcus Stroman, who sported an impressive 0.64 ERA through 14 innings of work this season. But Clemson got the best of him. Stroman allowed six runs through just under five innings while the Tigers’ starter Scott Firth took a shutout into the seventh inning. Clemson’s pitching staff limited the Blue Devils to just three hits in Sunday’s contest, capping off the series sweep.
Duke’s pitching was not aided by its defense, which had been typically reliable this season. After committing 19 errors through the first 19 games of the season, the Blue Devils committed five errors in this series. Ultimately, though, 29 of the allowed 34 runs were earned, showing that pitching was the heart of the problem this weekend. Still, McNally maintains a positive outlook and believes that pitching will remain a strength of the team.
“The reality is, top to bottom, we did not pitch well,” McNally said. “We were not aggressive in the strike zone. We are going to have to be moving forward.”
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.