Duke baseball weekend recap

Duke’s baseball team passed its first test of the season with flying colors — and in one game, with the ball flying over the fence a whole lot.

The Blue Devils opened the season with wins over Indiana, George Mason and Coastal Carolina, all at an event hosted by Coastal Carolina dubbed Baseball at the Beach in Conway, S.C.

All four teams were in the NCAA tournament last year, with Duke winning Coastal Carolina’s regional as the 2-seed.

Here was the recap of Duke’s season-opening win over Indiana.

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Here is a recap of each game this weekend:

On Saturday, Duke notched a single-game program record with 11 home runs in destroying George Mason.

Freshman AJ Gracia had three of them, all of the three-run variety. Zac Morris and Devin Obee each had two homers, with one of Obee’s being Duke’s first inside-the-park homer since Chris Crabtree had one in 2019.

Other homers were supplied by Ben Miller, Alex Stone, Chase Krewson and Wallace Clark.

The Blue Devils scored eight runs in the first inning and tacked on three in the second and two in the third, turning this into a rout early. A seven-run seventh inning stood as the other big burst.

Ironic as it is, George Mason scored the first run of the game on a solo homer by South Trimble. That was one of three runs allowed by Andrew Healy, who gave up three hits and two walks. Freshman Kyle Johnson pitched three scoreless innings after Healy, and then Gabriel Nard (two innings) and Ryan Higgins (one) finished the game, each allowing one run.

On Sunday, Duke got a home run by Morris to start the game and added three runs in the third, which was enough to carry the Blue Devils to their third win of the weekend.

Coastal Carolina tied the game in the bottom half with an RBI single by Caden Bodine.

Duke’s next two runs also came in with a homer, as Miller hit a two-run shot with two outs in the third. That drove in Johnson, who led off the inning with a single. The Blue Devils’ other run in that frame was Stone, who doubled, scoring from second on a single by Logan Bravo.

Duke tacked on an insurance run in the sixth with Clark’s double to score Johnson. The Chanticleers (1-2) scored a run each in the fourth and seventh innings, but didn’t have a baserunner in either of the last two innings.

Aidan Weaver started for Duke and went 2 1/3 innings. Five Blue Devil relievers combined for 6 2/3 innings, allowing two runs (one unearned) and two hits.

Last year’s closer, James Tallon, was the first out of the bullpen. He pitched 1 1/3 innings, allowing three walks, entering with two runners on in the third and pitching out of a jam.

Owen Proksch and Jimmy Romano faced four batters each as Duke’s next two relievers, neither allowing a run. Fran Oschell III allowed Coastal’s run in the seventh before Charlie Beilenson took over, retiring all seven batters he faced for his second save of the weekend (he retired eight of the nine he faced Friday night).