The Blue Devils are playing for the ACC Softball Championship.
After Thursday’s walk-off home run from sophomore Aminah Vega to defeat Boston College, Duke needed more 10th-inning heroics to get by Clemson in the semifinals.
With the game knotted at three runs apiece and runners on first and second, senior Francesca Frelick lobbed a lazy blooper toward second base. Tigers second baseman Alex Brown dove for the ball and couldn’t come up with it, sending Duke freshman Amiah Burgess around for the winning run.
Clemson shortstop Maddie Moore had sprinted over to help, however, and she quickly grabbed the ball and fired toward home plate to try and keep Duke off the board.
The timing looked like a photo finish, but the umpire pumped his fist to rule Burgess out, ending the 10th inning. The Blue Devils protested the call, however, and upon video replay, the officials determined that Burgess safely got her hand on home plate.
WHAT A WILD ENDING 😳
DUKE ADVANCES TO THEIR THIRD ACC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME 😤@DukeSOFTBALL pic.twitter.com/fdkHdFNV6a
— ACC Network (@accnetwork) May 10, 2024
The win advances top-seeded Duke to the conference championship game, where they will play the winner of Florida State and Georgia Tech.