FAN AND MEDIA ALERT: Due to the threat of inclement weather on Sunday, Duke and La Salle have rescheduled the final two games of this weekend's series for a double header on Saturday, March 5, at 1 p.m. at Jack Coombs Field. Please note the change in date, time and venue for the Saturday and Sunday games.
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DURHAM, N.C. – Sophomore Chase Bebout pitched seven
shutout innings in a 4-0 shutout against La Salle on Friday afternoon at the
Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
Bebout (2-0) pitched seven scoreless innings,
scattering five hits with seven strikeouts and only two walks, before turning it
over to Dillon Haviland and Ben Grisz. Haviland and Grisz came in and closed
down the Explorers as they combined for four strikeouts and up gave no hits
through the last two frames. The shutout is the second of the season for Duke
and lowers Bebout's ERA to 0.46 for the season.
Senior center fielder
Will Piwnica-Worms led Duke with three hits in four plate appearances – a double
and two singles – and two runs scored. Piwnica-Worms also stole a career-high
three bases and now leads the ACC with nine stolen bases in 10
attempts.
Duke freshmen Jordan Betts, Chris Marconcini, Anthony
D’Alessandro and Angelo LaBruna combined for seven hits and three out of the
four Duke runs. Betts finished the day going 2-for-4 with a double and a single
to keep his batting average at .500 for the season while also picking up his
11th RBI of the year. Marconcini was 1-for-2 with two walks and picked up his
ACC-leading 14th RBI, while D’Alessandro tagged a hit and an RBI. LaBruna
finished the day with two doubles and two runs scored.
Duke (8-2) scored
its four runs on 11 hits and stole four bases. The Blue Devils have now swiped
an ACC-high 25 bases in 33 attempts.
The Duke offense provided Bebout
with just enough support to outduel La Salle starter Kevin Fuqua (1-2), who
scattered three runs over seven innings. Fuqua used 107 pitches to strike out
six Duke hitters while issuing just two walks, both of which were to
Marconcini.
The Blue Devils put the first run on the board in the bottom
half of the first inning when Betts just missed a home-run off the 32-foot-high
left field wall. The freshman third baseman turned the knock into a double that
scored Marconcini from first base after he reached base on a walk.
Duke
added another run in the bottom of third after LaBruna started the inning with a
leadoff double. Leadoff man Marcus Stroman advanced LaBruna to third on a
sacrifice bunt, and Marconcini drove LaBruna in from third on an groundout to
the right side of the infield.
The Blue Devils added the third run of the
game in the bottom half of the sixth inning on a single from freshman David
Perkins that scored Piwnica-Worms, who reached base on an infield
single.
Duke added the final run of the game in the bottom of the eighth
inning on a single from senior Dennis O’Grady that scored Piwnica-Worms from
third. Piwnica-Worms reached base with a leadoff single and then stole second
and third on consecutive pitches to reach scoring position.
Duke and
LaSalle are now scheduled to play a double header on Saturday at Jack Coombs
Field. The first game will start at 1 p.m., and the second game will follow
approximately thirty minutes after completion of the
first.
-d-u-k-e-
