Duke baseball weekend recap

Duke did something it’s never done against a Division I opponent before to clinch a series win, and then closed a sweep of Baylor.

The Blue Devils (5-2) scored at least 20 runs in back-to-back games against a Division I program for the first time. Duke pounded out 20 runs on 21 hits in the series opener, riding four innings with at least four runs, and then scored 22 on 15 hits and 12 walks in the second game.

The weekend ended with something Duke failed to do last weekend, which was finish off the sweep. Duke closed things out on Sunday after losing last weekend’s series finale to Saint Joseph’s.

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Here is a quick recap of each game this weekend:

On Friday, every player in the starting lineup had at least one hit and scored at least once, and eight of the nine had at least one RBI.

MJ Metz was 4-for-4 with three runs scored, while Alex Mooney was 3-for-7. Giovanni DiGiacomo led the way with four RBI, two of them coming on a single in the fourth inning, the other two on a homer in the fifth.

Alex Stone hit a three-run homer in the 5th. Duke scored five runs in the 2nd to take a lead, five in the 4th to open things up, six in the 5th to essentially put the game away and added another four in the 7th to really drive home the point.

Baylor (2-5) scored first, scratching out a run in the 2nd on three singles. That was most of the damage allowed by Jonathan Santucci, who pitched five innings and allowed five hits and one walk, while striking out nine. He only threw 70 pitches.

Aaron Beasley (two innings), Edward Hart and Kassius Thomas combined for the final four innings.

On Saturday, Duke faced an early deficit again before blowing things up offensively.

Baylor got runs in the 1st and 3rd innings off Adam Boucher, and then Duke scored four in the bottom of the 3rd. Jay Beshears and Damon Lux drove in the first two runs in that inning, and then Andrew Fischer drove in a pair with a double.

The Blue Devils blew the game open with a five-run 5th, added another four runs between the 6th and 7th, and capped their offensive performance with a nine-run 8th.

Lux drove in six runs. Roman DiGiacomo had a pinch-hit grand slam in the 8th, hitting the first pitch over the Blue Monster in left field. Fischer was 2-for-4 with three RBI.

Owen Proksch relieved Boucher and pitched three innings, allowing one run and two hits. He earned the win, and Charlie Beilenson, Jason White and Andrew Healy pitched a scoreless inning apiece in relief.

On Sunday, Mooney scored on an error to break a 3-3 tie in the 7th, and then Duke cruised into the sweep with a six-run 8th.

The Blue Devils tacked on insurance runs in their last at-bat on a wild pitch and sac fly before getting RBI singles from Beshears, Stone and Metz. Beshears also drove in Duke’s first run, which came in the 3rd, while Stone drove in a run in the 5th and later scored on a wild pitch.

Ryan Higgins got the start on the mound and pitched three hitless innings, allowing one walk and facing the minimum. Baylor got two runs off Gabriel Nard and an unearned run off Beilenson.

Fran Oschell III pitched 1 2/3 innings to pick up the win, and James Tallon struck out the Bears’ last four batters for his second save of the season (having entered the game when it was 4-3 in the 8th).