Blue Devils Defeat Louisville, 9-6, in Weekend Opener

Friday, March 10

Durham, N.C.

6 p.m.

Duke University

19-4, 0

Louisville

16-5, 0

Louisville

Duke

Blue Devils Defeat Louisville, 9-6, in Weekend Opener

3/10/2023 11:49:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

DURHAM – No. 15 Duke softball (19-4, 3-1 ACC) defeated Louisville (16-5, 0-1 ACC), 9-6, on Friday night to open its three-game weekend series at Duke Softball Stadium.

Four Blue Devils finished with a team-high two hits, including freshman D'Auna Jennings, who sent a triple down the right field line in the fifth inning to score two of Duke's nine runs. Jennings also accounted for a run when she scored during the ensuing at bat following Gisele Tapia's single.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Blue Devils came out swinging, jumping in front 4-0 after the opening three innings.
Louisville battled back in the top of the fourth to pull within 4-3 following three runs on two hits, including a two-out, two-run home run from Hannah File.
Junior Lillie Walker then came in for relief of classmate Jala Wright in the circle and recorded the final out to halt the Cardinals' rally.
In the bottom half of the frame, sophomore Ana Gold and freshman Kairi Rodriguez answered back for the Blue Devils with back-to-back solo home runs to extend their edge to 6-3.
Duke tallied three more runs in the fifth inning, highlighted by Jenning's two-RBI triple, to stretch its lead to 9-3
Louisville would not go away, posting another three-run frame in the sixth to cut into the deficit at 9-6. Daisy Hess' two-out home run scored two of those three runs.
Walker was able to settle back in and record the final four outs of the game to secure the win.

NOTES

Gold extends her hitting streak to four straight games and has recorded a home run in four-consecutive after tallying her seventh on the season against the Cardinals.
Walker and Wright combined for nine strikeouts and allowed just three earned runs on eight hits.
Jennings recorded her second triple on the year and the Blue Devils' sixth as a team.
As a team, Duke matched its season high in doubles with four.
Rodriguez moved into a tie with Kelly Torres and Claire Davidson for second on the team with three home runs on the year.

UP NEXT
Duke and Louisville conclude their three-game ACC series with a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon. The first game is slated for 2 p.m. with the second to follow at 4:30 p.m. Both contests will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra.

To stay up to date with Blue Devils softball, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeSOFTBALL".

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