Duke baseball got some ninth-inning heroics at Jack Coombs Field on Friday night.
The Blue Devils got to the plate in the bottom of the last inning with the game knotted at three runs apiece with Miami. An infield throwing error let catcher Alex Stone make it all the way around to second base. A sacrifice bunt put runners on the corners before Miami chose to walk centerfielder Devin Obee.
Suddenly, Duke had a runner on all three bases with no outs, the game-winning run just 90 feet from home.
The Miami defense bucked from there, however. Hurricanes pitcher Nick Robert struck out Tyler Albright and forced an infield ball that forced the Duke runner out at home.
Third baseman Ben Miller strode to the plate with the situation every baseball player dreams of growing up. Two outs, bases loaded, tie game. Miller stayed patient for a moment, working his way to a 1-1 count, before he roped a low line drive inches past Miami third baseman Daniel Cuvet’s glove.
The white ball glided harmlessly into left field for a two-out single and a series-opening victory over the Hurricanes.
BEN MILLER IS THE HERO! 🫡 https://t.co/ZlpI3kECHx pic.twitter.com/hCBXKe7zQY
— Duke Baseball (@DukeBASE) April 6, 2024
The Blue Devils dugout charged the infield, mobbing the hero of the evening.
The walk-off win moved Duke to 22-8 on the season and 7-6 in ACC play. The second game of the series starts at 3 p.m. on Saturday.