Tag: Cassidy Curd

Duke softball clinches series against North Carolina with blowout mercy-rule win

Cassidy Curd struck out a career-high 12 batters in five innings on Saturday as the Blue Devils beat UNC by the run rule to clich the rivalry series.

No. 2 Duke softball earned the series-clinching win against North Carolina in emphatic fashion on Saturday, winning by mercy rule after a six-run first inning.

The Blue Devils chased UNC starter Bailey McCachren from the mound after just a single out. Duke drew two walks and knocked a single through to load the bases before McCachren hit Kelly Torres with a pitch to plate the first run of the game.

In the very next at-bat, Blue Devils senior Francesca Frelick doubled to right to bring home two more. Just like that, McCachren’s day was over. However, Tar Heels reliever Talia Hannappel somehow got off to an even worse start. With two runners still aboard, Duke’s Sara Goddard pulled a deep line drive over the wall for a three-run homer.

The ball pinged harmlessly off a flagpole over the left-field barrier, a vibrating announcing of Duke’s dominant start.

If North Carolina didn’t have its best stuff in the circle on Saturday, Duke pitcher Cassidy Curd certainly did. The sophomore struck out two batters in the first, second, and third innings each before she fanned each of the last six batters she faced, setting a new career-high with 12 strikeouts.

Curd only needed five innings of work for the new personal best, too, as the Blue Devils added a run in the second and fourth innings to make it an 8-0 ball game, invoking the run rule to clinch the series early.

The left-handed pitcher blew a 68-mile-per-hour pitch by UNC’s Carsyn Snead for the game’s last out. She took off her pitcher’s mask as the sold-out Duke crowd greeted her effort with a standing ovation.

Curd allowed just two hits for the day, and no North Carolina baserunners reached third base.

The Blue Devils, now 32-3 on the season and riding a seven-game win streak, get a chance at the sweep on Sunday at 7:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ACC Network.

Duke softball breezes past FIU for sixth straight win

In the second game of a Friday doubleheader, Duke scored six runs and held the Golden Panthers scoreless to extend their win streak.

The Duke softball team improved to 6-1 on its young season on Friday night with its second win of the day, a 6-0 win over Florida International.

After a ho-hum offensive display through the first six innings against Rutgers during the Blue Devils’ first game of the day, Duke’s bats took no time coming alive against the Golden Panthers.

Star leadoff hitter D’Auna Jennings singled in the opening at-bat. Ana Gold, who became the first Blue Devil to hit two grand slams in the same game on Wednesday against North Dakota State, tacked another RBI onto her season total with a double to plate Jennings before the first out.

Sophomore Aminah Vega doubled later in the inning to bring home Gold and give Duke its second run of the opening inning. Vega plated a second RBI in the fourth inning, a sacrifice fly, to increase her season total to 11, second on the team only to Gold’s 13.

The second inning went just as well, with shortstop Jada Baker lacing a double into left field to bring home Amiah Burgess. Jennings added to her excellent start with another single immediately after, and Baker scored after a wild throw on the ensuing defensive play.

After not tallying a hit in any of her four at-bats against Rutgers, Jennings finished the evening game with three hits in three plate appearances, scoring twice. It was her second perfect performance in Duke’s past three games as the sophomore went 2-2 during the NDSU victory.

The Blue Devils surged out to a 4-0 lead through two innings, and that proved to be more than enough run support for Cassidy Curd and Lillie Walker in the circle.

Curd delivered for the first three innings, allowing two hits but no runs while striking out five batters. Walker took over at the start of the fourth and made it the rest of the way home, also allowing two hits and striking out six batters herself in the tandem shutout.

The Golden Panthers never had more than four at-bats in any inning as the two Duke pitchers refused to let them gain any steam.

The Blue Devils tacked on two more insurance runs in the sixth inning, first an RBI single from senior Claire Davidson before Vega’s sacrifice fly.

Duke didn’t score in the final three innings, but with Curd and Walker’s efforts on the mound, it didn’t need to. The 6-0 margin held for the rest of the game to give the Blue Devils their sixth straight win.

The Duke softball team puts its lengthening win streak on the line again on Saturday morning against Army.