The Blue Devils — on their heels in the wake of crushing series losses at Miami and North Carolina — once again set themselves on a corrected path with a win over Appalachian State.
The Blue Devils opened the weekend in Coral Gables, Fla., with a 13-3 drubbing of Miami, totaling 12 hits and taking advantage of nine walks; every starter reached base. But a pair of close losses — in which Duke had zero hits past the sixth inning — left the Blue Devils with another heartbreaking series defeat.
With the pro baseball season now in full swing, a number of former Duke stars are now playing at the highest level. The Blue Zone takes a look at three of them.
Usually, college baseball’s most exciting games are reserved for the weekends, when conference rivals battle it out in a three-game series. But, a pair of midweek walk-offs gave the Blue Devils plenty of fireworks at Jack Coombs field.
Archrivals Duke and North Carolina squared off for a midseason three-game series in Chapel Hill, with the 19th-ranked hosts looking to defend their turf. They successfully did, but the Blue Devils forced a 14-inning ballgame before falling 8-7 in the final matchup.
Tuesday evening saw Duke host Davidson in its first of four Bark in the Park games; fans packed the stands of Jack Coombs Field with their canine companions and watched the Blue Devils take the win 12-0, their second straight run-rule victory.
Duke followed freshman Henry Zatkowski to a decisive 16-6 run-rule win against N.C. State Sunday afternoon. Paced by the southpaw’s six stellar innings on the mound, the Blue Devils clinically produced nine runs in the middle frames to pull away from the Wolfpack.
The Blue Devils were able to respond to a big Pirate first inning and lean on a strong performance from the bullpen in order to hold the visitors at bay in the 6-4 victory.
Duke came out Friday night with a sense of urgency, carrying that moxie into a run-rule victory Saturday. The Blue Devils then battled off a comeback attempt Sunday to secure their first sweep on the road in the 118-year history of its series against the Cavaliers.
With spring sports thoroughly underway, the Blue Zone is highlighting different squads and their accomplishments. This week, we take a look at changes in Duke baseball’s bullpen.
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.
Duke fell 10-5 to No. 18 Stanford Sunday evening to cap off a disappointing road sweep. After mustering just two runs through the first two games of the series, the Blue Devils entered Sunday looking to salvage a game and avoid a winless weekend. Instead, they squandered an early lead and were doubled up, heading back to Durham licking their wounds as they prepare to enter the heart of conference play.
Duke handled the Patriots in a pair of midweek games, riding six shutout innings from the bullpen to take the first game 6-3 and another key outing from third baseman Ben Miller to replicate that score Wednesday.
Despite suffering a lopsided defeat to Cal on Friday, the Blue Devils were able to bounce back Saturday and Sunday to win their first series in conference play against the visiting Golden Bears.
The Blue Devils put together a midweek masterclass against North Carolina A&T, trampling the Aggies 13-1 to deliver a fourth-straight home victory. The game displayed budding consistency for a squad that has struggled to combat defensive mishaps and find offensive sparks.
It was tense at times, but the Blue Devils outscored the Wildcats 31-12 overall as the offense strung together several incredible innings — including a nine-spot Friday and a seven-run first Sunday. Ben Miller was the star of the show; the third baseman appeared to return to his 2024 All-ACC form, racking up five hits, three home runs and 10 RBIs in a prolific stretch.
As spring sports are underway, The Chronicle is back with our breakdown of every sport, including key rules, terminology, tournament formats and more. Here is our baseball edition.
Duke tallied two midweek losses, falling to both Campbell and Liberty by a combined score of 21-10. The Blue Devils ended Tuesday’s road game with a 9-6 loss despite mounting a back-half surge against the Fighting Camels. When they returned home to face the Flames Wednesday, defensive inconsistencies paved the way to a 12-4 defeat.
However, a tone-setting performance on the mound from Ryan Higgins helped engineer a 34-3 combined drubbing over the final two games of the weekend, giving the Blue Devils their first series win of the year. Duke found production from up and down the lineup, seeing balls find gaps in ways they had not against the Bearcats.
In honor of Duke’s Centennial, the Blue Zone’s Blast from the Past series highlights pivotal figures and events in Duke sports history. Next, we look at the only perfect baseball game in the Blue Devil books.
