The team that took the field for the final game of Duke’s three-game series against Clemson was not the same team that gave up 15 runs and had seven errors in games one and two.
“It showed a lot of fight to come back after playing poorly,” head coach Chris Pollard said.
The Blue Devils (11-12, 3-6 in the ACC) turned it around game three, crushing the Tigers 13-1. Duke’s turnaround, however, happened too late for it to salvage the series—Pollard’s squad was shut out 7-0 in game one and relinquished its lead to Clemson (15-8, 5-4) in game two for an 8-4 loss after committing three defensive miscues.
The defensive miscues began in the first game, when Clemson had a 2-0 lead going into the bottom of the sixth when Tiger center fielder Thomas Brittle singled and advanced to second on an error by Duke right fielder Jeff Kremer. Clemson left fielder Tyler Slaton then singled to advance Brittle to third, followed by a fielder’s choice by third baseman Jay Baum. Blue Devil third baseman Jordan Betts misplayed Baum’s ball, which allowed both Brittle and Slaton to score.
Baum again caused the fielders trouble in the bottom of the eighth when he reached base on a groundball that was bobbled by Duke shortstop Kenny Koplove. The error allowed Brittle to advance to third and to later score on a sacrifice fly from pinch hitter Mike Triller.
At the same time, the Blue Devils’ offense was silenced by Tiger starter Daniel Gossett, who threw a complete-game, five-hit shutout.
“A lot of the credit goes to Gossett,” Pollard said. “But I thought we were victims to the fact that we really didn’t play good defense. That was the first time [in a long time] that our defense has really let us down. In that game we made uncharacteristic mistakes.”
The defense, however, didn’t rebound much in game two. Although Duke’s offense was powered by a 10-for-21 performance by Duke’s one-through-five hitters, including a 3-for-5 day from Kremer, the Blue Devils still committed three errors in the field. The Tigers’ first three runs were all unearned, off two errors from Duke starter Drew Van Orden and Betts’ third error of the weekend. Clemson’s effort was more than enough to overpower the Blue Devils, whose 2-0 lead soon became an 8-4 loss.
“We had some offense in the beginning of the game, but we didn’t come out and back it up well in the field,” Pollard said. “I told our players that I didn’t think they played well early in the ballgame. We let Clemson get back in it.”
But game three was all Duke. The Blue Devils were already up 3-0 before they broke the game open in the fourth. Second baseman Andy Perez brought in the inning’s first run with a double to score catcher Reed Anthes.
Then, to fully cement Duke’s reversal of fortune, Slaton committed an error when Kremer singled in the next at-bat, allowing Perez to score from second. The Blue Devils ended the fourth with an 11-0 lead, sending 13 men to the plate, tallying six hits and two walks.
While the Tigers added two more errors throughout the game, Duke scored two more runs. Every Blue Devil starter got a hit, including Perez, who had a 3-for-4 day with a career-high five RBIs.
“[Our starters’ hitting] speaks to the fact that we’re starting to build some depth,” Pollard said. “That’s going to be really important going forward in the season.”
Although Duke could have easily turned in the towel after tough losses in games one and two, Pollard believes his team’s true character was revealed when they turned the tide in their favor during game three.
“I think the biggest part of it was just the resiliency of all of our guys,” Pollard said. “To have your backs against the wall and respond that way I thought showed a lot about the fight and grit that this team has.”
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