Duke splits doubleheader to start season
Duke got its baseball season off to a good start by winning the first game of a doubleheader.
But the Blue Devils dropped the second game to Maine on Friday at Jack Coombs Field.
The mixed bag of Day One results is how Duke starts Corey Muscara’s tenure as coach — though, he wasn’t around to see things through. Duke’s new coach was ejected in the seventh inning of the second game, arguing a pickoff call in a tied game.
Here’s a recap of both games on Friday:
Duke 8, Maine 3
In the first game, the Blue Devils gave up the first run but scored in each inning between the second and sixth to win the opener.
A couple of unearned runs with two outs got Duke on the board in the second inning. The first scored on an error; the second on an RBI double by Jake Lambdin. He later hit a solo homer in the fourth — Duke’s first home run of the season.
Adin Zorn singled in a run in the third. Bobby Marsh doubled in the fifth, scoring Tyler Albright from first base. The Blue Devils capped their scoring with RJ Hamilton’s two-run triple in the sixth, and then he scored on a groundout by Cider Canon.
Duke’s multi-hit games of the season opener came from its No. 8 and 9 hitters. Respectively, Lambdin was 2-for-3 and Hamilton was 2-for-4.
Aidan Weaver (1-0) started on the mound and pitched five innings, allowing two runs on four hits and three walks.
Marcello Mastroianni and Caleb Anderson each pitched two innings in relief. Mastroianni hit two batters and had a balk, but struck out four and didn’t allow a run. Anderson gave up Maine’s final run, in the eighth.
Maine 4, Duke 3
In the second game, Maine scored a tiebreaking run in the ninth on a balk.
Peter Lemke walked the leadoff batter of the inning and was replaced by Roman DiGiacomo. After a single and flyout, there were runners at second and third with one out. DiGiacomo then balked in the go-ahead run.
Duke got the leadoff batter on base in the bottom of the ninth when Cider was hit by a pitch. He stole second with one out and reached third with two outs. But three Blue Devils — Michael DiMartini, Marsh and Zorn — struck out to end the game.
Maine’s run in the ninth was the game’s only run after the fourth inning. The Black Bears got a run in the first and Duke answered with solo homers by Cider and Zorn. Maine leapfrogged into the lead with back-to-back homers in the fourth, taking a 3-2 lead, and Duke tied the game in the bottom half of the inning when Aidan Bardi scored on a balk.
Matt Nochowitz started for Duke, allowing three runs on seven hits in four innings. Bennett LaPalm pitched two scoreless innings in relief. Lemke (0-1) didn’t allow a hit but was charged for the loss because of the inherited runner who scored on DiGiacomo’s balk.
