Tag: Ben Miller

Duke baseball takes first road series against Virginia Tech in six years after three dramatic games

The Blue Devils trailed Virginia Tech by three runs in the series-deciding Sunday game after six innings but roared back to win the weekend.

Duke baseball has finally won a series in Blacksburg.

For the first time in six years, the Blue Devils won at least two games on the road against Virginia Tech. They made sure to do so in the most dramatic way possible, too.

Both of the first two games took extra innings. The Blue Devils lept out to a 5-2 lead by the middle of the fifth inning on Friday thanks to a litany of hits and a solo shot by second baseman Zac Morris.

Duke ace Jonathan Santucci exited the game after a single and back-to-back walks to start the fifth inning, however, and the Hokies smelled blood in the water. Owen Proksch took over on the mound and struck out his first batter, but he walked his second to plate the first run. The next two Virginia Tech hits drove home three more runs, including a 2-RBI single from centerfielder Ben Watson to knot the game.

Hokies catcher Henry Cooke mashed a two-run homer in the sixth to pull ahead 8-6, and Duke seemed destined to let a four-run lead slip away. Instead, however, Logan Bravo and Ben Miller each tanked a solo home run in the eighth and ninth inning, respectively, to force extra innings.

Miller got the last laugh in the top of the 11th, too, with an RBI single to left field that produced the winning run. Duke took game one 9-8.

The Saturday sequel offered a lot fewer offensive fireworks. Miller picked up where he left off with an RBI double in the third, his third RBI of the weekend, and Cooke squared the game with a sacrifice fly in the next inning.

No other runs came across in regulation.

In the bottom of the 11th, with the game tied at 1-1, Bravo lived through every player’s nightmare. With two outs, the Hokies’ Christian Martin grounded the ball harmlessly to Duke shortstop Wallace Clark. Clark scooped it up and fired the ball to Bravo, and it smacked into the first baseman’s glove just in time for the out.

And then it popped out.

Bravo stared at the ball in disbelief as David McCann, who had been on third base, walked across for the winning run.

Bravo got his redemption on Sunday, however. The Hokies took a commanding lead after a five-run third inning, and Duke trailed by three runs in the deciding game. The first baseman took down the Saturday demons with a three-run shot to left-center in the bottom of the seventh, pulling Duke into a tie game.

After centerfielder Devin Obee robbed a potential Hokies home run in the bottom of the eighth, Duke mashed two home runs in the top of the ninth to cement the comeback. AJ Gracia sent his second of the day over the wall before Obee added an exclamation point to his heroism.

As a team, the Blue Devils hit 10 home runs between Friday and Sunday’s victories.

Duke, now 28-11 for the year and 12-8 against ACC opponents, takes on Campbell on Tuesday before a three-game home series against Florida State.

Duke baseball sweeps Miami after six-run comeback, second walk-off on Sunday

Duke made up six runs in the eight inning and overcame a three-run deficit in the 11th for their third straight one-run victory over Miami on Sunday.

The Blue Devils baseball team had a flair for the dramatic over the weekend in Durham.

Duke swept Miami with three straight one-run victories, including a walk-off from Ben Miller on Friday and a six-run comeback in the eighth inning on Sunday, to extend the program’s win streak to five games.

Miller’s heroics defined the day in the weekend opener. With two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, he smoked a ground ball past Miami third baseman Daniel Cuvet for the mic-drop victory.

The Saturday game didn’t lower any heart rates at Jack Coombs Field. Duke jumped out to a four-run lead through the first four innings after four different Blue Devils drove in a teammate.

Miami squared the game with two runs in the sixth and seventh innings apiece, but Duke catcher Alex Stone got his turn with the cape in the bottom of the seventh for Duke. With two runners in scoring position, Stone bounced a wild ground ball off the pitcher’s mound and into the outfield to drive home the go-ahead run. Neither team got on the board in the final two innings, meaning Stone’s RBI turned out to be the deciding play of the game.

With the sweep on the line on Sunday afternoon, Miami led 7-1 in the middle of the eighth inning. Miami designated hitter Lorenzo Carrier, who finished with a game-leading three RBIs, added the last runs to the early blowout with a two-run homer.

The game seemed lost for the Blue Devils, but Duke’s batters went to work in the bottom of the frame. Left fielder Chase Krewson singled home one run before Stone doubled home another. A walk loaded the bases, and the Hurricanes’ pitching staff melted down from there.

Nick Robert got called to the mound and beaned Duke centerfielder Devin Obee to plate another run. Pinch hitter Harrison Rodgers drew a walk, and all of a sudden, the Blue Devils only trailed by two.

Two batters later, with the lead just one after a sacrifice fly, Miller stepped up as the team superhero again and belted a fly ball over the right fielder’s head for the game-tying double.

After a scoreless ninth inning forced some extra frames, the Hurricanes looked like they struck the winning blow after Miami added three runs in the top of the 11th.

With their backs to the wall, however, the Duke offense delivered again. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases before the Blue Devils got handed two easy runs from a throwing error and a balk.

The Hurricanes opted to walk Stone to face Wallace Clark instead. Clark made them regret the decision.

The Duke shortstop rifled a line drive into the left-center gap to bring home both runners in scoring position, ending the game and the weekend.

The Blue Devils, on the heels of the five straight wins they’ve pieced together, are now 24-8 on the season and 9-6 against ACC opponents. They continue their home stand with a Tuesday night game against William & Mary.

Ben Miller’s two-out walk-off single gives Duke baseball the Friday win over Miami

Duke fought back from an early 2-0 deficit to take the first game from Miami on Friday night thanks to a walk-off single from Ben Miller.

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.

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.

Santucci sizzles with 11 K’s as No. 6 Duke downs No. 10 Clemson in ACC home opener

No. 6 Duke uses home runs and excellent pitching from Jonathan Santucci to down No. 10 Clemson.

For the second Friday in a row, Duke’s baseball team handed a loss to a top-10 team.

This time, it took place in Durham as Duke opened up its ACC home slate with a decisive 5-2 win over the 10th-ranked Clemson Tigers.

Duke ace Jonathan Santucci was razor-sharp as he bounced back from a short-lived showing against Wake Forest last Friday evening. He didn’t make it through three innings in his previous start, but he tossed five innings of two-run ball against Clemson.

The game started rocky after a fielding error allowed Clemson’s best player and future first-round draft pick, outfielder Cam Cannarella, to reach first. A wild pitch and some productive hitting got him to third before a single by third baseman Blake Wright scored him to give the Tigers an early 1-0 lead.

In the bottom frame, Duke responded loudly. With one out, a Ben Miller walk and a single by Alex Stone set the stage for Harvard transfer Logan Bravo to hammer a 2-0 pitch from Clemson starter Austin Gordon to right center for a three-run homer, giving the Blue Devils a lead they would never relinquish the rest of the game.

Santucci, from there, would settle down. He pitched two scoreless innings, racking up more strikeouts using his fastball, changeup, and slider in perfect unison.

In the bottom of the third, Bravo added more insurance, ripping a line drive to left field for his second homer of the game, giving Duke a 4-1 lead.

Clemson’s Blake Wright responded with a home run at the top of the fourth to cut Duke’s lead to two runs, but Santucci avoided further damage after maneuvering through a bit of trouble with two runners on.

The Blue Devils’ star pitcher would end his day in the fifth after getting Wright to fly out to right field. He finished with 11 strikeouts, three walks, and two runs allowed (one earned) on 96 pitches through his five innings pitched.

A Macon Winslow home run gave Duke its fifth and final run of the evening, pushing it ahead 5-2. Winslow finished his day three-for-three with a walk.

From there, Duke’s bullpen held down the fort as Owen Proksch pitched 1.1 innings and paved the way for Duke’s do-it-all reliever Charlie Beilenson to close the game with 2.2 innings of work for his eighth save of the season.

Duke held the Tigers to the second-fewest runs they’ve scored in a game all season.

The Blue Devils will lace their cleats back up and get ready to try and secure a series win tomorrow as the two teams get set for game two.

First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.

Three quick takeaways from Duke’s monumental series win over No. 1 Wake Forest

Three takeaways for Duke’s monumental series win over No. 1 Wake Forest.

While it was a tough weekend in Durham for the men’s basketball team as they lost to the North Carolina Tar Heels for the second time this season, another Duke team was making history elsewhere in North Carolina.

Chris Pollard’s team traveled to Winston-Salem for their first ACC matchup. They took on the nation’s No. 1 team, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Not only did Duke compete, they won the series two games to one.

The Duke Blue Devils baseball team clinched a series win over a top-ranked team for the first time in 15 years, last occurring when Duke took down a No. 1-ranked North Carolina team.

Friday, Duke won behind an eight-run offensive explosion that saw the Blue Devils touch up one of college baseball’s best pitchers, Josh Hartle. The Blue Devils took that game 8-5.

On Saturday, Tennessee transfer Chase Burns dominated the Blue Devils, striking out 14 Duke batters in 6 innings. Wake went on to even the series after a 6-3 Saturday victory.

Duke clinched the series in the tie-breaking Sunday game behind a six-run fifth inning, which featured two hits and five walks as the Blue Devils extended their lead to 9-2. Wake would fight back, but a late insurance run in the ninth followed by a save from Charlier Beilenson sealed the 10-8 victory.

With the series over, we have three quick takeaways as Duke has become the talk of the college baseball world with the most significant series win of the young season.

This Duke team is dynamic offensively

One of the most significant developments of the season so far is that Duke’s offense is verifiably legit. The pitching was more proven with the caliber of arms the Blue Devils brought back. Still, with Duke losing as many position players as it did, many felt there would be questions about run production and replacing an entire infield.

They’ve gotten contributions from every direction, including freshman AJ Gracia batting over .340 with an OPS of 1.214. Their new-look infield, with four new players spearheaded by Penn transfer Ben Miller, is batting above .290 while combining for 19 homers and 54 RBI. They lit up Hartle, a top-100 pick in this upcoming MLB draft, and on Sunday, they showcased their plate discipline (14 walks) and worked counts as Wake unraveled on the mound.

We’ve seen the Blue Devils put up 20+ runs multiple times this season. It’s safe to say the new look lineup is just fine, and they can do it against elite competition.

Kyle Johnson is starting to carve out a role

The uber-talented two-way freshman Kyle Johnson is finding himself a lane as a bulk innings guy who may just get stretched out to start in some capacity. In the most significant start of his young career, he tossed four innings of two-run ball on Sunday against a potent Wake Forest lineup on the road. He allowed three hits, but he did more than his job as he was competitive and kept Duke in the ball game, ultimately giving his offense time to break the game open in the fifth inning.

He also tossed 65 pitches. If this becomes a thing, the first-year Blue Devil could be stretched out to 80 pitches by mid-April, giving Pollard another pitching weapon to add to his deep arsenal.

Charlie Beilenson is indispensable

Where would Duke be without Charlie Beilenson this season?

Who knows, but his contributions have been immeasurable. When a fire needs to be put out, or he needs to close a ball game, no one is doing it better than Beilenson. He proved that this weekend against the nation’s best as he had not one but two saves to close both Duke wins. He showcased his versatility, too, as he pitched three scoreless innings for the save on Friday. He followed that up with one inning of work on Sunday to preserve a two-run lead and nail down his seventh save of the season.

Duke returns to the friendly confines of Jack Coombs Field this week as they open a six-game homestand with two midweek contests with Rider. The first pitch on Tuesday is scheduled for 4 p.m.

Duke baseball wins defensive battle over Northwestern

The Blue Devils only scored two runs against the Wildcats on Thursday night, but it proved to be all they needed after a team shoutout on the mound.

Duke baseball only managed two runs against Northwestern on Friday night, but it proved to be all the Blue Devils needed after a masterful pitching display.

The Blue Devils (5-0) defeated the Wildcats (1-3) by a score of 2-0 to open the weekend series.

The Duke offense struck early to surge ahead by doing what they’ve done best all season. Through the first four games of the season, Duke racked up 16 home runs, including a staggering 11 in a single game against George Mason.

It seemed the Blue Devils would pick up right where they left off on Friday. Third baseman Ben Miller pounded a solo home run, his third of the year, in the bottom of the opening inning.

It proved to be the only long ball of the game, however. Shortstop Wallace Clark drove in another run in the second inning, a two-out single that brought home teammate Devin Obee. After that, however, the Blue Devils only managed two hits for the rest of the game, not scoring another run.

Two runs proved to be more than enough for Blue Devils ace Jonathan Santucci, however.

The preseason All-American dealt six scoreless innings, only allowing five hits and working himself out of jams comfortably.

He allowed a baserunner in each of the first two innings, but he ended each side with a harmless fly ball. The Wildcats again threatened, or tried to, in the top of the third. The first two batters reached base on a walk and a single, giving Northwestern the go-ahead run at the plate with nobody out. Santucci promptly forced a ground ball before back-to-back strikeouts left the Wildcats hanging again.

Two singles from the first three batters in the fourth put runners on the corners with one out, but Santucci mowed down the next batter on a swinging third strike before he forced a groundout. Another rally halted.

Santucci’s final two innings went much more comfortably, with a single in the fifth and a walk in the sixth, and no runner advanced past second base.

Through his first 11 innings of 2024, Santucci has given up nine hits and five walks while striking out 17 batters. He has yet to allow a run.

Sophomore Owen Proksch took over in the seventh and added two scoreless frames of his own. He retired the first five batters he faced, let up one single in the eighth, and then retired the next batter to end the inning.

Proksch trotted out again in the ninth, but after an opening walk, Duke coach Chris Pollard opted for his ringer. Charlie Beilenson, who already converted his first three save opportunities so far in 2024, took the game ball with the game-tying runner at the plate. He struck out the first batter he faced before a single gave the Wildcats a glimmer of hope.

Beilenson struck out the next two batters in seven pitches.

The graduate student’s fourth save of the year gave the Blue Devils their fifth straight win to open the season and their first of a three-game weekend series against the Wildcats. Duke and Northwestern play again on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET.

Duke baseball looking to clear final hurdle and get to Omaha as 2024 season is set to start Friday

Duke baseball gets set to open their 2024 season. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the Blue Devils’ season opener.

1961. 1961 was the last time a Duke Blue Devils baseball team made the College World Series.

Last year was about showing up every doubter of the Duke baseball program as the team broke every preseason expectation of them en route to a 39-24 record, coming up just one win short of a trip to Omaha, Nebraska.

Head coach Chris Pollard retooled the Duke roster in hopes of clearing that final hurdle and leading his program to heights not reached in over 50 years.

Duke will start the season ranked as the No. 12 team in the country. In short, they will not be sneaking up on anyone this year. And that presents one of many challenges the Blue Devils will face this year: going from solely the hunters to being hunted while still hunting the class of the ACC, Wake Forest, Clemson, and Virginia as they too pursue a trip to Omaha.

The question now is: How does Duke live up to and exceed last year’s results?

It starts with their pitching. Duke’s pitching staff last year was unconventional but highly effective. At season’s end, they had the 18th-best ERA in the country. They’ll need to keep Duke in games as the bevy of transfers and new faces in the lineup, especially around the infield, begin to gel.

The staff’s ace is preseason second-team All-American Jonathan Santucci, a lefty with big strikeout stuff. James Tallon, Fran Oschell, and Andrew Healy are talented pitchers who received preseason award buzz. With that core four of pitching along with reliever Charlie Beilenson, Duke should remain competitive in many games.

They also should get a boost from two-way true freshman Kyle Johnson, who is expected to start in the outfield while contributing a solid number of innings on the mound for the Blue Devils.

Johnson was among the 50 best high school prospects per Perfect Game and was named the number one impact freshman in the ACC during the fall by D1Baseball. Expectations are high, but many around the Duke program believe they are warranted.

Duke’s season will depend on health and how long their revamped infield takes to gel. The Blue Devils lost every infielder from last year’s team that made it to Super Regionals. Some hit the transfer portal, and others were drafted in the MLB Draft last June.

Ben Miller (Penn), Logan Bravo (Harvard), Ben Weaver (Wheaton), and Wallace Clark (Oklahoma) are just a few of the names that transferred in with significant opportunities to start in Duke’s infield. They all have over 50 games of starting experience, so they are far from inexperienced. They’ll need to hit the ground running and quickly find their stride at the plate. As soon as Duke’s nonconference schedule ends, they’ll jump right into conference play, where the ACC is home to five other top-20 teams, and Duke will open ACC play by taking on four of them to start.

As the Blue Devils ready themselves for a weekend slate of games in the Baseball at the Beach tournament hosted by No. 18 Coastal Carolina, they do so knowing that this season won’t be easy. They open up this weekend with Indiana, George Mason, and Coastal Carolina.

The possibilities for this team can be sky-high, but things could get scary if their pitching, health, and offense don’t gel in unison. Nonetheless, this team is talented enough to get to Omaha. Will they?

We’re about to find out.