Tag: Duke softball

Duke softball drops to No. 5 in coaches poll after first series loss

The Cavaliers took back-to-back games from Duke softball on Saturday, but the Blue Devils’ 39 wins kept them in the top five of the latest coaches poll.

Despite dropping two games in a Saturday doubleheader to Virginia, the Blue Devils softball team stayed No. 5 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/NFCA Division I Coaches Poll on Tuesday.

The two losses were Duke’s first consecutive losses this season, and UVA became the first team to take a series from the Blue Devils. Duke is still 39-6 for the season, and the Blue Devils have won 17 of their 21 conference games.

Duke did win its first two games of the week, a 16-3 throttling of UNC Greensboro on Wednesday before taking the first game from the Cavaliers on Friday night.

Texas (38-6) received all 28 first-place votes while Oklahoma, the three-time defending national champions, sits hot on its heels in second. Tennessee and Oklahoma State lept over Duke into third and fourth, respectively.

The Blue Devils also stayed inside the top five for USA Softball, but Softball America (No. 6) and D1Softball (No. 7) both dropped Duke out of the upper tier.

Blue Devils softball lose first series of the year to Virginia on senior day

The Blue Devils lost back-to-back games for the first time in 2024 after a senior day sweep at the hands of Virginia on Saturday.

For the first time in 2024, the Blue Devils lost a series this weekend.

No. 3 Duke took the Friday game after a 12-inning marathon, an extra-inning walk-off on a bunt by Jada Baker. The series-opening win, powered by 12 scoreless innings in the circle from senior Jala Wright, moved Duke to 39-4 for the year. It was the Blue Devils’ 11th straight conference win, and Duke seemed to be operating at full power.

As the sun rose on Saturday, the final regular-season weekend games at Duke Softball Stadium awaited the Blue Devils. They faced the Cavaliers twice, first at 1 p.m. and again at 3:30 p.m., and lost both games by a single run.

Senior Claire Davidson, in the midst of maybe the greatest offensive season in program history, popped up a sacrifice fly in the third inning of the opening game to give Duke a 1-0 lead. Davidson already set the single-season RBI record during the midweek win over UNC Greensboro, and she finished the weekend with 59 RBIs for the season.

However, Virginia leadoff hitter Jade Hylton blasted a grand slam in the bottom of the fourth to shoot her squad ahead. The Blue Devils could only tack on two more runs in the fifth, more sacrifice flies from Kelly Torres and Davidson, but the final two frames passed in a scoreless draw for the Cavaliers to clinch the upset.

Davidson, Wright, Torres, Francesca Frelick, Lillie Walker, Gisele Tapia, and Sarah Goddard stared down redemption in the final weekend home game of their senior season.

Instead, the Cavaliers tacked on the first three runs of the game. Hylton homered again, raking in two more runs in the top of the third, before an RBI single from left fielder Kelsey Hackett gave UVA the 3-0 lead.

Wright came back into the circle in the middle of the sixth inning and did her part, striking out Virginia’s last five batters to keep the offensive challenge as small as possible.

Sophomore sensation Aminah Vega tripled in the bottom of the sixth, her 27th extra-base hit of the year, to bring home the first run. Two batters later, Tapia brought the second baseman home with a single into left field. All of a sudden, the Blue Devils were within one run of escaping with the series.

Instead, Virginia brought Madison Harris, who surrendered Friday’s fateful run, back into the circle. Harris retired her first batter to end the sixth and started the seventh with back-to-back outs, putting Duke’s back entirely against the wall.

D’Auna Jennings drew a walk to keep hopes alive, putting the tying run on base, but Torres flew out harmlessly to end the rally.

Duke, now 39-6 for the season, does play two more home games to close the regular season this coming week. Gardner-Webb comes to town on Tuesday before a Wednesday battle against Longwood. The Blue Devils end the year with a three-game road series against NC State.

WATCH: Duke softball’s wild 12th-inning walkoff over Virginia after fielding error

Duke outlasted Virginia in a 12-inning defensive battle, scoring the game’s only run after a bizarre defensive sequence from the Cavaliers.

There’s more than one way to win a softball game.

The No. 3 Blue Devils improved to 38-4 on the season after their 11th straight conference victory on Friday night, but the 1-0 win over Virginia looked a little different than most.

After a scoreless regulation, Duke and the Cavaliers needed nearly a complete second game of sudden death before a run crossed the plate.

However, in the bottom of the 12th, with runners on first and second and just one out on the board, Duke’s Jada Baker strode to the plate. Baker laid down a perfect bunt down the first-base line, forcing UVA pitcher Madison Harris to try and throw Baker out at first.

The throw got away from Harris, however, and second baseman Bella Cabral slipped trying to haul it in. The error let Duke senior Francesca Frelick make it all the way around to home for the game’s winning (and only) run.

Duke’s second game of the series starts on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Duke softball’s Claire Davidson named D1Softball’s National Player of the Week

Senior Claire Davidson batted in 10 runs in three games against Clemson, earning her D1Softball’s National Player of the Week honors.

D1Softball named Duke’s Claire Davidson its National Player of the Week on Tuesday.

The senior’s recent form came to a head against the Clemson Tigers over the weekend when she recorded five hits, including a pair of 3-run homers, in three games. She added two doubles in the Sunday finale, helping the Ble Devils clinch the sweep, and batted in 10 runs across the series.

Duke softball has played 12 games since March 28. In that time frame, Davidson has batted 0.552 with eight home runs and 24 RBIs.

Here surge has her on the doorstep of some program records as she has 15 home runs (four short of the single-season mark) and 56 RBIs (already tied for the school record) with nine games left in the regular season.

This is the second time a Blue Devil earned national honors after second baseman Aminah Vega was named the NCAA Player of the Week for her performances against Virginia Tech last month.

Davidson’s chase for Duke history continues with a Wednesday road game against UNC Greensboro.

Duke softball’s Ana Gold hits 36th career home run, breaks program record

Ana Gold made Duke softball history on Tuesday night with her 36th career home run, the most by any Blue Devil.

Duke softball star Ana Gold made some program history on Tuesday night.

During a road game against East Carolina, with two runners on in the top of the fourth, the junior launched a ball over the left field wall to give Duke a 7-0 lead.

The three-run shot was Gold’s 36th career home run, the most by any player to wear a Blue Devils uniform. She hit 19 home runs as a sophomore last season, the most in a single year by any Duke player.

Tuesday’s home run, Gold’s seventh of the season, also broke a mini-slump for the Duke star. After six home runs in the first 13 games of the season, she hadn’t sent one over the wall since February 25 against Villanova.

The Blue Devils are a consensus top-three team in the country through 36 games this year. Duke came in No. 3 in this week’s USA TODAY Sports/NFCA Coaches Poll and reached a top spot for the first time in program history when Softball America moved the team to No. 1 on Monday.

Duke softball comes in No. 3 in USA TODAY Sports/NFCA Coaches Poll

The Blue Devils swept North Carolina to extend its winning streak to eight games over the weekend, and Duke now trails just two Big 12 powerhouses in the USA TODAY Sports/NFCA Coaches Poll.

The Duke softball team has a 33-3 record through nine weeks this season, and their eight straight wins have them No. 3 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/NFCA Coaches Poll.

The Blue Devils swept Virginia Tech, who previously hadn’t lost a conference game, and North Carolina over the past two weekends. Duke outscored UNC 20-5 over the three-game series, and sophomore pitcher Cassidy Curd was named ACC Pitcher of the Week after she struck out 12 Tar Heels in five shutout innings on Saturday.

The Blue Devils now trail just Oklahoma and Texas in the Coaches Poll. The Sooners, who have won the past three national championships and beat Duke in the season opener, are 35-3, but the 31-6 Longhorns handed them two straight losses over the weekend to take the rivalry series.

Texas’ two wins over Oklahoma actually boosted Duke up to first in the Softball America rankings released on Monday, the first time in school history that the Blue Devils have ever summited a national ranking.

Duke’s Cassidy Curd named ACC Pitcher of the Week after North Carolina sweep

Duke sophomore Cassidy Curd struck out 19 batters across 9.1 innings, including a five-inning shutout of UNC, en route to her second ACC Pitcher of the Week honor of the season.

Duke sophomore Cassidy Curd was named ACC Pitcher of the Week for the second time after 9.1 stellar innings against Charlotte and North Carolina.

Curd started her week with 4.1 scoreless innings against the 49ers on Wednesday, striking out seven batters and only allowing two hits and a walk. She earned the win for her efforts in the 6-1 triumph.

Three days later, in the second game of a weekend sweep of the Tar Heels, Curd struck out 12 UNC batters in just five innings. She surrendered two hits and a walk again, and the Tar Heels got shut out in the 8-0 win.

Curd leads the nation with 11.4 strikeouts per seven innings, and her average of 3.73 hits per seven innings is the seventh-fewest of any pitcher in the country. She has an ERA of 1.39 and a 7-2 record.

Curd was previously named ACC Pitcher of the Week in early March after 12 combined shutout innings against Elon and South Dakota State when she struck out 18 batters and gave up a single hit. Teammate Jala Wright has also been named ACC Pitcher of the Week twice.

Claire Davidson is on pace for the best offensive season in Duke softball history

The Blue Devils took the top spot in the Softball America rankings on Monday, and senior star Claire Davidson’s bat is a big reason why.

Duke softball, for the first time in program history, is the best team in the country.

The Blue Devils, now 33-3 on the season and 13-2 against ACC foes after sweeping North Carolinaย this weekend, took the top spot in the Softball America rankings on Monday morning. It’s hard to find a bigger reason why than the bat of senior star Claire Davidson.

Davidson hit two home runs in the series finale on Sunday, a solo shot in the opening inning and a three-run bomb in the fourth, to power Duke to a 6-1 victory. The senior has produced a hit in eight of her last 12 at-bats, and the two home runs on Sunday gave her six bombs and 14 RBIs in her last seven games. The torrid late-season stretch has her in some exceptional national company, as she is inside the top 20 in the nation in both homers and runs batted in, but she’s not just unrivaled among her teammates. She’s unrivaled in Duke program history as she’s on pace to break (or shatter) a handful of records.

No Blue Devil has finished a season with a slugging percentage better than .797. Davidson, through 36 games, is hovering at 1.000. Her 46 RBIs are only 10 shy of the most in Duke history despite the Blue Devils having 15 games in the regular season (and an entire postseason) left to play. Davidson’s 12 doubles would also be on pace to break the Duke record of 16 if not for teammate Aminah Vega, who has 13 already on the season.

Ana Gold set the program single-season home run record last year with 19, a mark that looked safe for most of the season, but Davidson’s two blasts on Sunday got her to 13 for the year, moving yet another school record in reach.

All of these records center around Davidson’s power, but her contact and consistency are just as good. Teammate D’Auna Jennings set a Duke record with a .462 batting average in her outstanding freshman campaign last year. Davidson is batting .459 thus far.

The senior is doing something truly special over the last two weeks, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a better athlete on campus over the past few years.

Duke softball makes program history rising to No. 1 in latest Softball America poll

Duke Softball is the new No. 1 team in the country.

After a crazy weekend in softball that saw the sport’s premier team, Oklahoma, lose a tough series to its fiercest rival, Softball America has a new number-one squad, and it resides in Durham, North Carolina.

That’s correct; the Duke Blue Devils are the No. 1 softball team in the country, according to Softball America’s latest poll.

Duke’s ascension to number one marks the first time this season that a team other than Oklahoma has topped SA’s poll. It also marks the first time in Duke softball’s short history that it has been ranked as a number one team.

Duke entered last week as the No. 2 team, and after beating UNC-Charlotte 6-1 in a midweek matchup and sweeping their Tobacco Road rivals, UNC, Duke is now the nation’s top team.

Oklahoma has an early season win over Duke, but things have changed for both programs since that game.

Duke is joined by Virginia Tech (16), Florida State (20), Virginia (24), and Clemson (25) as the ACC accounts for 20% of the poll.

Duke returns to action this week when it travels to Greenville, N.C., for a non-conference matchup with East Carolina. The first pitch is slated for 5 p.m. at Max R. Joyner Family Stadium.

Duke softball sweeps UNC after Claire Davidson’s two-home run game

Claire Davidson blasted two home runs in the first four innings on Sunday night as the Blue Devils cemented a dominant sweep over North Carolina.

No. 2 Duke softball took down North Carolina for a third straight time on Sunday night, a 6-1 victory fueled by two early home runs from senior Claire Davidson.

Sporting some new all-white uniforms for the series finale, Davidson wasted no time in the Blue Devils’ second at-bat of the game. With the sun low in the Durham sky, she swiped at a low pitch from UNC’s Kenna Raye Dark and blasted a line drive into right-center field.

The ball carried just far enough, bounding harmlessly into the grassy hill over the wall for a solo shot.

The two North Carolina teams couldn’t generate any more offense for the next three innings, but in the bottom of the fourth, strode back to the batter’s box with runners on first and second with two outs on the board. Facing down Dark for the third time of the day, the Duke senior smashed another fly ball to right-center field, landing no more than 30 feet away from her first blast, for a three-run homer.

Sophomore Aminah Vega followed up with a solo shot three pitches later, pulling a fly ball down the right field side for a towering homer and breaking the game apart.

Dark didn’t throw another pitch.

The two homers and four RBIs added to what has been a seismic senior season from Davidson, who now leads the Blue Devils with 13 home runs and 46 RBIs so far this season.

Vega, who won NCAA Player of the Week last week, is second on the roster in both metrics with nine home runs and 39 RBIs.

In the circle, a trio of Duke pitchers lived up to their usual form from the season thus far. Dani Drogemuller, the starter, got the game ball for the first 3.1 innings and allowed six hits, but she never allowed a run and struck out two batters. Star senior Jala Wright surrendered the lone run of the game in her 1.1 innings of work before Lillie Walker tallied the last seven outs.

Walker, who picked up her eighth win of the season, only allowed one hit. One year after she put up a 1.20 ERA in 28 appearances, the senior currently sports an ERA of 0.90 through her first 17 outings of this campaign.

The win put the finishing touches on a dominant three-game series for the Blue Devils. Duke allowed just five runs across 19 innings and outscored the Tar Heels 20-5, and the Blue Devils have now won 11 straight games over their in-state rival.

Duke has now won eight straight games and 12 of its past 13, and the Blue Devils are 33-3 on the season. They spring back into action with a Tuesday evening game against East Carolina before a Wednesday game against Campbell.