The Duke Blue Devils remained undefeated for the 2024 season with a Sunday win over Northwestern, a dominant 20-9 offensive display powered by 14 runs between the fifth and sixth innings.
Freshman Kyle Johnson continued a remarkable freshman season with three scoreless innings on the mound. The Wildcats took an early lead with a two-run shot in the bottom of the first, and Duke clung to a 4-3 lead when Johnson took over on the mound.
The first-year prospect struck out the first two batters he faced and surrendered just one hit in his three innings on the hill. He ended the afternoon with five strikeouts despite facing just 10 batters, and the Virginia native has yet to give up an earned run in eight innings pitched.
The sterling outing on the mound came just one day after he notched his first RBI of the season, a triple into the right-field corner against Northwestern yesterday. He’s batting .286 with two extra-base hits through Duke’s first seven games of the year.
Johnson halting the Northwestern charge gave Duke’s offense enough time to wake up, and wake up it did. The Blue Devils scored four runs in the bottom of the second, three of them on a bases-loaded single from Ben Miller compounded by a fielding error. In the following inning, freshman designated hitter Macon Winslow launched his first collegiate home run to left-center to increase the lead to three runs.
Duke really broke the game open in the fifth. A single and two walks in the first three at-bats gave the Blue Devils loaded bases with no outs, a situation nearly impossible to escape from given Duke’s offensive form of late.
A walk on Wallace Clark provided the inning’s first run before Zac Morris singled two more home. Catcher Alex Stone then whacked one out of the ballpark for three more runs, and the offensive track meet was on.
Centerfielder Devin Obee did his share of damage in the fifth and sixth innings, too. He stepped to the plate with two outs and reeled in Duke’s last two runs of the fifth with a two-run double. One inning later (because Duke had already batted around the order by then), he laced a single with the bases loaded for his third RBI of the game.
After one last single and a wild pitch, Duke ended the sixth inning with a 20-3 lead, and Northwestern’s hopes of stealing a game in the series had pretty much evaporated. The Wildcats put up an admirable fight, scoring six more runs in the top of the ninth, but the Blue Devils got their third out well before the game got within reach.
Now 7-0 on the young season, Duke takes the home diamond again on Tuesday against Davidson.