UConn must have been on spring break.
The Blue Devils powered through the Huskies with little resistance 12-2, anchored by an all-around offensive performance and another strong outing from the bullpen.
“[We] came out looking to make a statement that this past weekend was not us. We are not gonna roll over,” head coach Chris Pollard said.
David Boisvert started on the mound for Duke (13-9), but his outing was short-lived. With two Huskies on base, a quick mound visit led to Boisvert's exit in favor of left-handed pitcher Mark Hindy. The William and Mary transfer promptly ended the inning, producing a quick out and a strikeout swinging to end UConn’s chance.
“We played on our toes from the very first pitch of the ball game. I thought it was a great job by Hindy of coming in and getting us off the field, not allowing them to grab a lead in the first inning,” Pollard said. “To get us off the field without a run crossing the plate — that gave us a lot of momentum. We came in behind it. We took that momentum and had five straight quality at-bats to start the ball game.”
The Blue Devil offense wasted no time getting on the board. With two on base, Ben Miller came up to bat and launched the ball to center field to single, sending Wallace Clark home to score the first run of the inning. Jake Hyde followed up on Miller's success, pushing an RBI to right-field that brought Jake Berger home. The inning did not end there, as Duke kept the pedal to the floor with Miller and Hyde both crossing home as part of a four-run rally to put the Huskies on their heels.
UConn (6-11) had a costly misplay on a bunt that loaded the bases for the Blue Devils in the bottom of the third inning. After a deep fly out to center, Macon Winslow took advantage, crushing a three-run homer to left field. The long ball widened the gap, bringing the score to 8-0 in favor of Duke.
A powerful shot off the wall in the bottom of the fourth from Hyde reignited the Blue Devils' momentum, scoring Berger for the ninth run.
Then in the sixth, Berger delivered a home run to right field after battling through a tough 3-2 count, stretching the lead to a commanding 10 runs and effectively securing the win over the Huskies. Shortly after, Albright — the Greensboro, N.C., native — singled up the middle for an RBI, advancing Hyde to second and bringing Ben Miller home to close out the sixth inning 11-0.
“I know for sure that Jake Bergers' at-bat in the sixth was the at-bat of the year,” Pollard said.
After an RBI single to left from Matt Garbowski, Duke made one final pitching change, pulling Kyle Johnson from the outfield in an attempt to close out the inning. Left with a 3-2 count, the sophomore just couldn’t finish the job, allowing a ball to escape to left field and pushing in one more run for the Huskies.
Offensive movement put three runners on base for Duke as the seventh inning neared its end. Miller sent a ball deep to center-right field, driving home the final run of the night. The subsequent innings went in the Blue Devils’ favor, closing the book on a one-sided game.
Duke will look to build on its momentum as it is set to face competitive No. 23 Virginia in a three-game series this weekend at Disharoon Park.
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