Tag: Francesca Frelick

Duke softball drops opening Women’s College World Series game to Oklahoma

The Blue Devils struck first on Thursday, but the powerhouse Sooners followed with nine unanswered runs for a six-inning victory.

The Duke softball team dropped the first Women’s College World Series game in program history on Thursday afternoon, a 9-1 run-rule defeat at the hands of the Oklahoma Sooners.

Duke entered Thursday’s game as heavy underdogs. The Sooners have won each of the last three national championships, and they beat the Blue Devils by three runs in Duke’s first game of the season. FanDuel Sportsbook gave Duke about a 25% implied chance of beating the powerhouse program.

The Blue Devils did hang the first run on the board in the second inning when senior Francesca Frelick whacked a low line drive into the left-field corner and over the wall. The veteran Blue Devil pumped her fists and cheered as she rounded the bases, embracing her surrounded teammates after she stomped on home plate for the 1-0 lead.

The advantage held early as Duke starter Cassidy Curd held Oklahoma scoreless for the first two innings.

The lead evaporated and the game unraveled in the third inning, however. ACC Pitcher of the Year Jala Wright took over for Curd in the circle with one runner on board, and the Sooners peppered her for a pair of two-run homers before she escaped the inning.

Duke, now trailing by three, loaded the bases in the bottom of the fourth with two outs and looked to climb back into the game and continue the upset effort. A soft line drive from Gisele Tapia looked destined to find the left-center gap and score at least one run, but Oklahoma centerfielder Jayda Coleman made a diving catch to halt the rally before it began.

The Sooners mashed their third two-run homer off Wright in the bottom of the fourth, bringing the run rule into play. The Blue Devils remained unable to add any more runs, and the Sooners only needed two runs in the bottom of the sixth to end the game early.

They got those exact two runs on a single from Alyssa Brito, who one-hopped a line drive into left field with two runners in scoring position to bring around the winning runs.

The Women’s College World Series is a double-elimination bracket, so the Blue Devils aren’t eliminated yet. Duke will play Alabama in an elimination game on Friday night at 7 p.m. Eastern time.

Duke’s Francesca Frelick hits the team’s first Women’s College World Series home run

In the Blue Devils’ first Women’s College World Series game in program history on Thursday, Francesca Frelick got Duke off to a dream start.

The Duke softball team took the field in the Women’s College World Series for the first time ever on Thursday, and it took less than two innings for the Blue Devils to get on the board.

After a scoreless first inning, senior Francesca Frelick hammered a low line drive toward left field that carried and stretched over the wall for a solo home run, giving Duke a 1-0 lead over Oklahoma.

The Sooners have won the last three national championships and defeated Duke 3-0 in the Blue Devils’ first game of the season, so striking first likely felt extra sweet for head coach Marissa Young’s team.

As the ball rattled off a short camera tower and over the wall, Frelick cheered loudly as she rounded the bases. She wrapped teammates Amiah Burgess and Ana Gold in an embrace before jumping forward into a mob of Blue Devils all ready to celebrate her achievement.

Missouri evens Super Regional series, sets stage for winner-take-all Sunday game

The Blue Devils held Missouri’s offense to three runs on Saturday, but two hits as a team meant they couldn’t clinch the series.

The Duke Blue Devils softball team lost its first game of the postseason on Saturday afternoon, a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Missouri to even the Super Regional series.

The Duke pitching staff did its job during the game, giving up just four hits for the day. ACC Pitcher of the Year Jala Wright started in the circle and roared out of the gates with 10 consecutive outs, working her way through the order without a single base runner.

Wright finally caught a snag in the fourth, however. She surrendered her first baserunner with a one-out single, then she coughed up another base hit to the next batter.

With two runners on in a still-scoreless game, Missouri first baseman Abby Hay poked through a third consecutive single to open the game’s scoring. Duke right fielder Claire Davidson couldn’t pin her throw from the outfield on catcher Kelly Torres, but a miscommunication in the infield allowed a second. The ball bounced off Torres as she tried to corral it, and both nearby Blue Devils rushed back to the plate instead of either one going after the ball.

Hay made it all the way to third in the commotion, and an infield ground ball let her score the third run of the inning.

Sophomore pitcher Cassidy Curd replaced Wright in the circle after the two-run debacle, and she did exactly what she did on Friday: shut Mizzou down. With the Blue Devils desperately in need of a comeback, she did all she could. Curd got the last two outs of the fourth and allowed just one hit over the final three innings, holding the Tigers scoreless for a second straight outing.

Through nine innings against Missouri this weekend, Curd has allowed one hit and one walk while striking out nine batters.

Unlike in Game 1, however, the Duke offense couldn’t take advantage of Curd’s form. The Blue Devils got on the board with a solo home run from senior Francesca Frelick in the fifth inning, but they couldn’t manage any other runs in a day with just two team hits.

The Blue Devils had the chance in the sixth inning when two walks and an error loaded the bases with just two outs, but a strikeout and an infield fly meant no damage got done.

With the series now even at one win apiece, the Blue Devils and Tigers will play one final game on Sunday, a winner-take-all game with a spot in Oklahoma City on the line. It will undoubtedly be the biggest game in program history, as Duke has never reached the Women’s College World Series.

Duke softball wins first Super Regional game in school history to sit one win from WCWS

With Friday’s 6-3 win over the Tigers, the Blue Devils are one win away from their first-ever trip to the Women’s College World Series.

For the first time in Duke softball history, the Blue Devils have won a Super Regional game.

After back-to-back Super Regional sweeps at the hands of UCLA and Stanford, Duke defeated Missouri 6-3 on Friday to take a lead in the best-of-three series.

Missouri struck first with one run in the opening inning, but the Blue Devils surged ahead in the second inning. With two outs and one runner aboard in the top of the second, down to her final strike, senior Francesca Frelick launched a go-ahead home run over the wall to give Duke the lead.

The home run sent a message to the Columbia crowd that, despite being the lower seed in the series, Duke wouldn’t go away quietly. The next two batters kept the run going, too. Freshman Amiah Burgess singled and then raced all the way home when sophomore centerfielder D’Auna Jennings tripled into the right-center gap.

Two runs for the Tigers knotted the game again after two innings, but the Missouri offense halted from there. Sophomore star Cassidy Curd waltzed into the circle with two outs in the bottom of the second, forced an out, and then forced a ton more.

She allowed two Missouri base runners in the third, one thanks to an error and another who was hit by a pitch, before three consecutive one-two-three innings in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings.

Curd ended the afternoon with one walk, no hits, and eight strikeouts in her 5.1 innings on the mound, completely silencing the home team and crowd.

The Blue Devils pushed ahead in the fifth inning when sophomore second baseman Aminah Vega one-hopped a double off the wall for a go-ahead run. Gisele Tapia roped in another run later in that same inning, and Duke earned its last insurance run with a steal from D’Auna Jennings after Ana Gold bought her some time in a pickle.

Duke now needs to win one of the next two games in Columbia to book its first-ever appearance in the Women’s College World Series, the final eight-team bracket for the national title. The Blue Devils are 4-0 so far in the NCAA postseason after they swept through the Durham Regional.

Duke softball wins Durham Regional, punches Super Regional ticket with South Carolina win

The Blue Devils defeated South Carolina for the second time on Sunday, and the 10-1 victory earned them a spot in a Super Regional.

For the third straight year, the Duke Blue Devils are headed to a Super Regional after a 10-1 win over South Carolina on Sunday.

Duke’s offense kept trying to get runs on the board early, but the dam wouldn’t break. The Blue Devils loaded the bases in the first inning after a single and two walks, but a strikeout ended the inning harmlessly.

The Blue Devils left a runner on first in the second and third innings, too. However, the missed scoring opportunities hurt a little less thanks to the stellar work of sophomore Cassidy Curd in the circle.

Curd retired the first three batters of the game, a safe three-up, three-down inning that kept the pedal down. After an opening single in the second, she mowed down the next three opponents to ensure no one reached scoring position.

The Duke offense finally got over the line in the fourth inning. With two runners in scoring position, senior Francesca Frelick smashed a line straight back over pitcher Alana Vawter, just inches over her outstretched glove and into centerfield. Both runners made it all the way home, finally taking the lid off the plate.

Curd’s brilliance wavered for a moment in the fourth. After an opening double from Zoe Laneaux, a throwing error let her come all the way around to score. Suddenly, Duke’s lead was just one with a runner on second and nobody out.

Instead of any panic, however, Curd calmly knocked out the next three batters to escape without any further damage.

After a one-out walk in the fifth, Duke handed the game ball to ACC Pitcher of the Year Jala Wright, and she lived up to the label. The senior retired the first five batters she faced, including three crucial sixth-inning outs to keep the lead before the final frame.

The save, while crucial, seemed irrelevant by the middle of the seventh. Duke added eight runs in the last inning, picking apart multiple Gamecocks pitchers and batting around the order.

After two singles and a walk, a wild pitch from Vawter brought the first runner home before an Ana Gold single plated the second.

Sage Mardjetko took over from there and fared even worse. She struck out her second batter, but she hit her third with a pitch to load the bases before a clearing double down the first-base line from Amiah Burgess really made it start to hurt.

A follow-up single brought Burgess home, a reward for her game-breaking play.

Two runs later, the seventh inning mercifully ended for South Carolina, but the only reward awaiting them was Wright. She struck out three of the four batters she faced, ending the game with a dominant 10-1 final margin.

The win, Duke’s 50th of the season, gives them the Durham Regional title. Duke blew through the double-elimination bracket in just three games, beating Morgan State and South Carolina twice en route to the title.

The Blue Devils play the winner of the Columbia Regional final between Missouri and Omaha.

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 takes first game against UNC for 100th conference win

The Blue Devils took game one from the Tar Heels on Friday for their 31st win of the season and their 100th conference win in program history.

Duke softball accomplished three major things on Friday night.

First and foremost, the Blue Devils beat North Carolina. No matter the sport, a victory over the Tar Heels always satisfies. Duke took down UNC for a 6-4 series-opening win at Duke Softball Stadium.

The victory also gave Duke its sixth win in a row, its 31st of the season, and its 100th all-time conference win in program history.

The Blue Devils entered the game with all the momentum after a sweep of Virginia Tech, previously unbeaten in conference play, last weekend.

Duke picked up where it left off in the circle with star senior Jala Wright opening the game with four scoreless frames, striking out five batters over that frame.

UNC didn’t go down without fights. The Tar Heels got a runner to third base in each of the first three innings, but Wright struck out the final batter in the first and third and forced a harmless groundout in the second to keep her slate clean.

The Blue Devils offense took a second to get going, but Duke got off the ground in the bottom of the third. After a single and a walk in the first two at-bats of the inning, second baseman Aminah Vega singled home the first run of the game.

Vega got the opening RBI fresh off of her NCAA Player of the Week honors when she brought home nine runs in three games against the Hokies.

Two batters later, Kelly Torres singled home two more runs to give the Blue Devils some breathing room.

The Tar Heels finally got a hold on Wright in the fifth inning when their first two batters walked and singled, putting runners on the corners. A sacrifice fly and a wild pitch drove home two runs, but the Duke pitcher steadied herself to retire the last two batters of the frame.

Wright finished the game with seven strikeouts, six hits, and two earned runs in 5.2 innings en route to her 12th win of the year. She set a personal mark, too, with her 350th career strikeout to record the first out of the sixth inning.

The Blue Devils answered quickly on the offensive end, too. With the lead now one, Francesca Frelick strode to the plate with nobody aboard and two outs and promptly did this.

The towering no-doubter pushed the lead back to two, but senior star Claire Davidson decided that she wanted a little more insurance in the following inning.

The two-run bomb was Davidson’s 11th home run of the season, three more than any other player on the team, and gave her a team-leading 42 RBIs on the season.

The Blue Devils coasted from there, allowing two runs in the top of the seventh when UNC needed at least four to extend the game.

The second game of the series starts at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

Duke softball played one of the most impressive games you’ll ever see on Saturday night

The Blue Devils smacked two grand slams and star pitcher Jala Wright struck out 14 of the 18 batters she faced in Saturday’s 22-0 win over Michigan State.

If you weren’t paying attention to Duke softball on Saturday evening, you missed something special.

The Blue Devils took down Michigan State by mercy rule in just five innings, but that’s not the impressive part. Duke won by 22 (yes, 22) runs after the team strung together 19 hits at the plate, including two grand slams, and pitcher Jala Wright struck out 14 of the 18 batters she faced.

If you want to be even more impressed, all of Duke’s runs came in the first three innings.

Wright, who now boasts a 0.51 ERA after 27.2 innings in the circle this season, let up a single and a walk in the Spartans’ first two at-bats of the evening. She forced a pop-up for the first out of the night before she struck out the next eight Michigan State batters in a row. There was a stretch from the bottom of the first to the bottom of the fourth that included literally nothing but strikeouts for the Spartans.

Wright’s crazy streak came to an end when she allowed a walk to begin the fourth inning. So she just started a new one, striking out the last six Spartans batters to end the game.

The senior has been one of the most prolific pitchers in the country so far this season, and Saturday’s showcase brings her to 38 strikeouts on the young season. She’s allowed just 11 hits by comparison, and she has more complete games (four) than runs allowed (two).

At the plate, the Blue Devils were just as impressive. Gisele Tapia came to the batter’s box with the bases loaded in the first and punched one into the outfield for a two-run single.

One inning later, the California native again came up with three runners on board. This time, however, she sent the ball over the fence for a grand slam, bringing her RBI total to six before the end of the second.

The grand slam feat was matched an inning later by teammate Francesca Frelick. The senior brought home a run with a sacrifice fly in the first, but her single in the second inning was her second hit in 14 at-bats so far this season.

When she dug into the box with the bases loaded in the third inning, she’d only produced three RBIs the entire season. With one mighty swing, she more than doubled that total.

Quite literally, if I tried to walk you through every run the Blue Devils scored on Saturday, we’d be here all night. Tapia had another two-run single in the third inning to bring her RBI total to eight for the evening. Junior Ana Gold followed Frelick with a three-run homer in the third, her team-leading fifth of the season. Sophomore Aminah Vega brought home two runs to bring her season total to 16.

Perhaps the best concise way to sum up the performance is through the third inning when Duke made it around the order two full times and scored 14 runs. When Aleyah Terrell singled Tapia home for the 22nd run of the game, the Spartans hadn’t even recorded their ninth out.

Michigan State isn’t the world’s worst team either, entering the game with a 5-8 record. But for a few hours in Durham, the Blue Devils ran the world.

Duke coasted from there, extending its win streak to 11 after its third win of the weekend. The Duke Invitational continues on Sunday at 1 p.m. against Villanova, whom the Blue Devils beat 8-0 in five innings on Friday.