Duke walks off series opener against Miami

Duke walked it off in the ninth inning with a single from Ben Miller, beating Miami 4-3 on Friday night at Jack Coombs Stadium.

Miller singled through the left side of the infield with the bases loaded and two outs. The inning started with Alex Stone reaching on a throwing error, included Wallace Clark reaching on a sacrifice bunt attempt and an intentional walk, and saw Miami get the second out of the inning at home before Miller’s game-winning hit.

Duke (22-8, 7-6) gave up the first two runs early, took a 3-2 lead with a big fifth inning, and then gave up the lead in the top of the sixth, which is how the game wound up in the ninth with the score tied 3-3.

Blue Devils ace Jonathan Santucci didn’t have his best stuff, but still went five innings and allowed two runs. The junior lefty gave up five hits and three walks, also hitting a batter, with six strikeouts.

“What I told our team after the game was what a great job by Santucci to grind his way through the fifth inning without his best stuff,” Duke coach Chris Pollard said via news release. “Nobody deserves the opportunity to have a walk-off moment (more than) Ben Miller with the year he is having.”

Miller is a grad transfer from Penn. He, along with Santucci, was one of 45 players in the country named to the Golden Spikes Award midseason watch list earlier this week. Miller is hitting .447 with 33 RBI in 30 games.

Duke’s earlier runs came on a one-run single by Clark, and then on a two-run single by Tyler Albright. That came against reigning ACC pitcher of the week Gage Ziehl, who pitched eight innings.

Miami (15-14, 6-7) tied the game in the sixth on Edgardo Villegas’ single, which came against Gabriel Nard. Owen Proksch pitched a scoreless inning, and Charlie Beilenson (1-2) pitched the eighth and ninth, allowing one hit and striking out two.

Duke is 203-42 (.816) since 2016 when recording an inning of scoring at least three runs. The Blue Devils are 7-2 in series openers this season.