Virginia blows past Duke to force Game 3
Cavaliers put away Blue Devils in middle game of super regional to force decisive final game
Duke will have to do the same thing it did last weekend if it’s going to reach the College World Series.
The Blue Devils will have to flush a loss and win a decisive final game.
They’re in that spot because of Virginia’s 14-4 win over the Blue Devils on Saturday at Disharoon Park. That forces the final game of the best-of-3 super regional series in the NCAA baseball championship, with the winner punching a ticket to the College World Series.
Virginia (49-13) blew the game open with four runs in each the fifth and eighth innings, adding a two-spot in the sixth. That came after Duke rallied to get within a run of what had been a four-run lead.
The Blue Devils (39-23) got back into this game with a three-run fourth inning — Duke’s offense has been a second-time-through-the-order offense for most of the season — on Luke Storm’s two-run double, followed by Damon Lux’s RBI double.
Those good vibes of a comeback didn’t last long.
Adam Boucher replaced Aaron Beasley after Beasley recorded a strikeout to start the fifth and gave up a single and hit a batter. That set the table for Ethan Anderson to launch a three-run homer and reestablish Virginia’s four-run lead, and it grew to a five-run advantage with Anthony Stephan’s solo homer later in the inning.
Duke trailed after the second pitch of the game. Griff O’Ferrall led off the game with a home run against Alex Gow, who was starting a game for the third time in nine days.
Virginia added two runs in the second on a sac fly by Stephan and a single by Henry Godbout.
Connelly Early (12-2) pitched seven innings for Virginia, allowing nine hits and recording eight strikeouts. He didn’t surrender a walk, and neither did reliever Jack O’Connor in the last two innings.