Even a return to the friendly confines of the Durham Bulls Athletic Park was not enough to push Duke past Virginia Tech over the weekend.
The Hokies (26-20, 9-15 in the ACC) won two of three games to push the Blue Devils deeper into the Coastal Division cellar. Duke (21-26, 5-19) has now lost eight of its last nine conference games.
The lost series may prove devastating for the Blue Devils, who entered the weekend on the cusp of the eighth—and final—spot in the ACC Tournament, which will take place at the DBAP.
On Friday, Duke squeaked by Virginia Tech 3-2 behind an inspired pitching performance by senior Dennis O’Grady. The senior held the Hokies to one earned run on six hits through seven innings of work, racking up seven strikeouts. The Blue Devils broke a 2-2 lead in the bottom of the eighth inning when freshman Jordan Betts scored on a passed ball.
Saturday’s game was even closer than the opener, as Virginia Tech tied the series with a 6-5 win in ten innings. The Hokies scored the winning run when Andrew Rash scored on a two-out passed ball in the top of the frame. Both starting pitchers were chased by the end of the fifth inning, but the Virginia Tech pair of Manny Martir and Ronnie Shaban held the Blue Devils to just one unearned run the rest of the afternoon.
The rubber match was a 9-0 blowout orchestrated by the Hokies and starter Joe Parsons, who scattered six hits in a complete-game shutout. Duke’s battery of Chase Bebout—starting his first game in almost two months after a wrist injury—Eric Pfisterer and Drew Van Orden combined to give up all nine runs in just 7.2 innings of work.
The Blue Devils now sit four games out of the final ACC Tournament slot with just six conference games remaining.
— from staff reports
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