Miami baseball falls in Game 1 at Duke on 9th inning 2-out walkoff single, 4-3
DURHAM, N.C. — The Cardiac Canes felt the heartbreak themselves.
With 11 comeback wins under their belt, Miami nearly pulled out another one.
Instead, the ninth-ranked Duke Blue Devils flipped the script.
Duke third baseman Ben Miller delivered a walk-off base hit to lift the Blue Devils to a 4-3 win over the Hurricanes Friday evening at Jack Coombs Field.
Miller’s heroics gave Duke (22-8, 7-6 ACC) its first walk-off victory of the year to stun Miami (15-14, 6-7 ACC).
“It was a hard-fought game,” head coach J.D. Arteaga said. “We outhit them, 9-5, but they got the big three-run fifth inning and got a big hit when they needed it. That’s what wins games.”
In the victory, the Blue Devils went 3-for-7 with runners in scoring position, capped off by the game-winning knock in the ninth.
Duke right-hander Charlie Beilenson (1-2) picked up the win with two scoreless innings in relief. Meanwhile, freshman righty Nick Robert (5-1) was tagged with the loss.
After a complete game against then-No. 3 Clemson, reigning ACC Pitcher of the Week Gage Ziehl held Duke in check.
The junior right-hander tossed eight innings, limiting the Blue Devils to three runs on five hits. Ziehl retired 12 of the first 13 batters he faced, holding Duke hitless across the first four frames.
The Hurricanes provided their ace with early run support, as freshman Antonio Jimenez and junior Edgardo Villegas both plated a tally in the second.
Three innings later, Duke responded with three runs before Villegas leveled things with an RBI single in the sixth.
Miami will look to even the series Saturday. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m.
