Blue Devils roll to sweep of Northwestern, with all systems firing in last two games
Duke had three different games in a three-game series against Northwestern this weekend at Jack Coombs Field.
The Blue Devils won all three to run their unbeaten start to the season to seven games.
It’s Duke’s best start to a season since 2008, when the Blue Devils started 10-0.
Here is a breakdown of each game this weekend:
Duke 2, Northwestern 0
On Friday, Jonathan Santucci pitched a career-high six innings and struck out 10 batters (one shy of a career high) to start the weekend on the right note.
The junior lefty allowed five hits and three walks. Santucci never had a 1-2-3 inning but pitched into and out of trouble, getting out of a second-and-third, one-out situation in the third inning with two strikeouts, and getting out of a first-and-third, one-out situation in the fourth with a strikeout and groundout.
Owen Proksch pitched the seventh and eighth, allowing a hit and a walk and striking out three.
Charlie Beilenson allowed a hit and struck out the side in the ninth for his fourth save in Duke’s first five games.
The only two runs Duke needed came in the first two innings. Ben Miller hit a solo home run in the first, and Wallace Clark singled in the second to drive in Devin Obee.
Duke 8, Northwestern 2
On Saturday, Northwestern scored its first run of the series in the first inning.
And then Duke got it back and then some.
The Blue Devils scored five runs in the bottom of the first, on RBI singles by Miller and Obee, sacrifice flies by AJ Gracia and Macon Winslow, and then on a triple by Kyle Johnson.
That proved more than enough support for Andrew Healy, who pitched four innings and gave up four hits and two walks, plus that first-inning run, which was unearned.
Four Blue Devil relievers combined for the last five innings. Gabriel Nard, Edward Hart and Ryan Higgins all pitched 1 1/3 innings, none of them allowing a run. Tim Noone pitched the ninth and allowed the Wildcats’ second run.
Winslow added an RBI double later in the game, and Clark hit a solo homer. Duke’s last run came on a sacrifice fly by Alex Stone.
Duke 20, Northwestern 9
On Sunday, Duke’s offense exploded for its second game of the season with at least 20 runs.
The damage was contained to four innings. Duke scored four in the second, two in the third, and then an eight-run fifth and six-run sixth took a lead that was manageable into a lead that was basically untouchable.
Stone was 3-for-4 with four RBI, three of them coming on a homer in the fifth. Obee was 3-for-3 and walked twice, scoring three times and driving in three runs. Morris, Miller, Logan Bravo and Winslow all had two RBI apiece, with Winslow also homering.
In addition to 14 hits, Duke drew nine walks and four HBPs.
Northwestern scored the first three runs of the game and chased starter Aidan Weaver before he could record an out in the second inning. Josh Allen entered for the second, and then Duke turned to two-way freshman Kyle Johnson.
He pitched three scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out five. It was Johnson’s second win of the year.
Fran Oschell III, James Raidt and David Boisvert each pitched a scoreless inning after Johnson.
The worst inning of the weekend came in the final one for Duke, when James Tallon gave up six runs in the ninth. Duke’s closer last year, Tallon gave up two hits, four walks and a hit batter, recording two outs.
