Duke shut out the Charlotte 49ers with a 3-0 victory at Durham Bulls Athletic Park Wednesday night, putting the team a game above .500.
The Blue Devils (11-10) opened up scoring in the bottom of the first, with second baseman Andy Perez’s second leadoff home run of the year. In the third inning, Duke tacked on two more runs on sacrifice flies from third baseman Jordan Betts and designated hitter Matt Berezo. The Blue Devil offense put a man on base in every inning with shortstop Kenny Koplove and outfielders Mark Lumpa and Grant McCabe each notching two hits on the night.
A trio of Blue Devil right-handers combined to shut out Charlotte. After giving up two hits in the first inning, freshman James Marvel settled in to allow just three more hits and one walk over the next six frames. His one scare came in the fifth inning, but he worked out of the jam with 49ers on first and second. He ended Charlotte’s threat for good after battling with leadoff hitter Michael Green, who popped out on a 2-2 count. Marvel improved to 2-2 on the season with the victory.
Relievers Michael Matuella and sophomore Andrew Istler built off Marvel’s dominance, each tossing a hitless inning. The save for Istler marked his fifth of the season, which leads the ACC.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.