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Blue Devils Hold Fall Exhibition with NC Central
10/19/2019 11:16:00 PM | Baseball
DURHAM, N.C. – The Duke baseball team closed out its first exhibition of the fall with NC Central Saturday afternoon with a 14-inning affair at Jack Coombs Field on Duke's campus.
The Blue Devils used a combination of six pitchers in the matchup, including two freshmen, as NC Central claimed a narrow 10-9 victory across the 14 innings of play.
The trio of senior Matt Mervis, junior Joey Loperfido and freshman Grant Norris highlighted the offensive effort, each contributing multi-hit efforts. Mervis led the offense with a game-high three hits, while Loperfido finished with a pair of hits, including a single and a home run, while adding one RBI, one walk and two runs scored. Norris closed out the contest 2-for-6, including one double, one triple, one walk and a pair of runs scored. Sophomore Damon Lux and redshirt junior Chris Dutra each registered one home run in the matchup.
Sophomore Jack Carey earned the start in Saturday's exhibition, working 3.0 innings, before turning it over to the Blue Devil bullpen. Junior Bryce Jarvis followed with an inning of work, while the foursome of senior Bill Chillari, freshman Henry Williams, sophomore Aaron Beasley and freshman Marcus Johnson each saw time on the mound.
NC Central grabbed the early advantage, scoring one run in the first. The Eagles used a leadoff single followed by a two-out triple to plate a run in the opening frame to take a 1-0 lead after half an inning of play.
Duke responded in the very next half with a run of its own to even the score. With one out, Loperfido reached on a walk before stealing second to move into scoring position. The junior outfielder then advanced to third on a groundout before coming across to score on a wild pitch to make it a 1-1 ballgame.
The Blue Devils exploded for three runs in the fourth inning, scattering three hits to push across the crooked number. Junior Michael Rothenberg led off the frame with a triple to deep center field before later scoring on a sacrifice fly from sophomore Rudy Maxwell. One out later, Lux delivered the game's first long ball with a solo shot to left field to mark the inning's second run. Norris scored the inning's third and final run, reaching on a two-out triple before scoring on a wild pitch to make it a 4-1 contest.
The two teams went on to trade runs across the final 10 innings, highlighted by a three-run inning for the Eagles in the eighth and a two-run inning in the 10th.
Duke and NC Central are scheduled for a pair of matchups in the spring season, as the Blue Devils will welcome the Eagles to Durham Bulls Athletic Park for a pair of midweek pairings in April.
The Blue Devils are less than two weeks into their 40-day fall training window, as Saturday's exhibition provides the team with its first look against outside competition. Duke is set to hold its annual Scout Day next Thursday, Oct. 24, before taking part in its second exhibition of the fall on Saturday, Nov. 2, when the team travels to Fayetteville, N.C., for the Inaugural Fall Classic at Segra Stadium against Coastal Carolina.
Duke will conclude its fall season with the annual Fall World Series, which is scheduled for Nov. 14-16. The team is set for a trio of nine-inning games, which will take place at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
All practices and scrimmages are open to the public across the Blue Devils' fall slate, including Saturday's exhibition against NC Central.
For more information on Duke baseball, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "DukeBaseball". You can also find all-access coverage of all Duke athletic programs on SnapChat by searching for "dukeathletics".
#GoDuke
The Blue Devils used a combination of six pitchers in the matchup, including two freshmen, as NC Central claimed a narrow 10-9 victory across the 14 innings of play.
The trio of senior Matt Mervis, junior Joey Loperfido and freshman Grant Norris highlighted the offensive effort, each contributing multi-hit efforts. Mervis led the offense with a game-high three hits, while Loperfido finished with a pair of hits, including a single and a home run, while adding one RBI, one walk and two runs scored. Norris closed out the contest 2-for-6, including one double, one triple, one walk and a pair of runs scored. Sophomore Damon Lux and redshirt junior Chris Dutra each registered one home run in the matchup.
Sophomore Jack Carey earned the start in Saturday's exhibition, working 3.0 innings, before turning it over to the Blue Devil bullpen. Junior Bryce Jarvis followed with an inning of work, while the foursome of senior Bill Chillari, freshman Henry Williams, sophomore Aaron Beasley and freshman Marcus Johnson each saw time on the mound.
NC Central grabbed the early advantage, scoring one run in the first. The Eagles used a leadoff single followed by a two-out triple to plate a run in the opening frame to take a 1-0 lead after half an inning of play.
Duke responded in the very next half with a run of its own to even the score. With one out, Loperfido reached on a walk before stealing second to move into scoring position. The junior outfielder then advanced to third on a groundout before coming across to score on a wild pitch to make it a 1-1 ballgame.
The Blue Devils exploded for three runs in the fourth inning, scattering three hits to push across the crooked number. Junior Michael Rothenberg led off the frame with a triple to deep center field before later scoring on a sacrifice fly from sophomore Rudy Maxwell. One out later, Lux delivered the game's first long ball with a solo shot to left field to mark the inning's second run. Norris scored the inning's third and final run, reaching on a two-out triple before scoring on a wild pitch to make it a 4-1 contest.
The two teams went on to trade runs across the final 10 innings, highlighted by a three-run inning for the Eagles in the eighth and a two-run inning in the 10th.
Duke and NC Central are scheduled for a pair of matchups in the spring season, as the Blue Devils will welcome the Eagles to Durham Bulls Athletic Park for a pair of midweek pairings in April.
The Blue Devils are less than two weeks into their 40-day fall training window, as Saturday's exhibition provides the team with its first look against outside competition. Duke is set to hold its annual Scout Day next Thursday, Oct. 24, before taking part in its second exhibition of the fall on Saturday, Nov. 2, when the team travels to Fayetteville, N.C., for the Inaugural Fall Classic at Segra Stadium against Coastal Carolina.
Duke will conclude its fall season with the annual Fall World Series, which is scheduled for Nov. 14-16. The team is set for a trio of nine-inning games, which will take place at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
All practices and scrimmages are open to the public across the Blue Devils' fall slate, including Saturday's exhibition against NC Central.
For more information on Duke baseball, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "DukeBaseball". You can also find all-access coverage of all Duke athletic programs on SnapChat by searching for "dukeathletics".
#GoDuke
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