Blue Devils Split First Day of Texas Invitational

Friday, February 21

Austin, Texas

3 p.m.

Duke University

9-2

Lipscomb

6-4

Lipscomb

Duke

Blue Devils Split First Day of Texas Invitational

2/21/2020 11:40:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

AUSTIN, Texas – Bouncing back from a 2-0 loss to Lipscomb in game one, Duke softball took down Weber State in five innings, 9-1, on the first day of the Texas Invitational at Red & Charline McCombs Field.

Splitting on Friday, Duke moves to 10-2 on the season as six Blue Devils garnered two hits between the two games while the pitching staff only let up three runs. Junior Sydney Bolan secured the run-rule victory over Weber State with a two-run walkoff.

Lipscomb 2, Duke 0
After four scoreless innings, Lipscomb plated the only runs of the game on two hits as a throwing error resulted in a 2-0 lead. Duke responded in the bottom half, starting with a leadoff single up the middle from junior Rachel Crabtree, followed by a hit through the right side from sophomore Caroline Jacobsen. Kristina Foreman reached on a fielder's choice, but the Blue Devils couldn't tack any runs onto the board.

Raine Wilson came up with a clutch double down the left field line in the sixth, bumping Kendyl Lange over to third. Crabtree stepped up to the plate and ripped a shot to left field, but the ball found the outfielder for the final out of the frame. Duke went down in order in the seventh falling short of Lipscomb, 2-0, after leaving 12 runners on base.

Crabtree and Lange garnered more than half of Duke's hits, going 2-for-4 and 2-for-2, respectively, while each picking up a stolen base.

Brianna Butler (2-1) got the start in the circle, throwing 4.1 innings before Peyton St. George entered in relief. Through 2.2 frames, St. George only let up one hit while recording four strikeouts.

Duke 9, Weber State 1 (5)
Sophomore Deja Davis opened up Duke's offense in the first inning with a leadoff triple to right field. Crabtree sent her home with a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring the Blue Devils' first run of the day and taking an early 1-0 lead.

In the third, Davis walked and stole second before advancing to third on an overthrow. Wilson followed with an RBI single through the right side, scoring Davis, before notching a stolen base and advancing to third on another overthrow. In back-to-back at-bats, Crabtree hit another sac fly to center to give Duke a 3-0 advantage.

Weber State made it a 3-1 game in the top of the fifth with a solo home run over the wall in left field. Duke responded with six runs in the bottom half, beginning with Kyla Morris' single to left which was followed by her first stolen base of the 2020 season. Davis garnered her second hit of the contest, sending one up the middle as Morris scored on an error.

Up 7-5 in the fifth, senior Dominique Salinas doubled down the right field line for her first two-base hit of the year. A walk loaded the bases for Bolan, who entered to pinch hit, and tallied a career-high two RBI as a Blue Devil to end the game in five innings at 9-1.

Sophomore Shelby Walters improved to 4-0 in the circle, hurling five complete innings in which she tallied three punchouts.

The Blue Devils are back in action for two games tomorrow, beginning with North Dakota State at 3 p.m. ET before playing No. 4 Texas at 8:30 p.m. ET.

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