Late Inning Heroics Lift Blue Devils to Series Win Saturday

Saturday, February 18

Durham, N.C.

3 PM

Duke University

2-0

Saint Joseph's

0-2

Saint Joseph's

Duke

Late Inning Heroics Lift Blue Devils to Series Win Saturday

2/18/2023 7:42:00 PM | Baseball

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DURHAM – Senior Damon Lux hit a sacrifice fly out to deep center field in the bottom of the eighth to score junior Jay Beshears from third to lift the Blue Devils (2-0) over the Saint Joseph's Hawks (0-2), 2-1, on Saturday.

Sophomore right-hander Ryan Higgins earned his first win of the 2023 season, while freshman southpaw James Tallon recorded his first save of his career.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Junior Jay Beshears opened the scoring for the Blue Devils in the bottom of the first, singling up the middle to score sophomore Alex Mooney from third.
In the top of the fourth, junior Adam Boucher worked around a bases loaded jam to keep the Blue Devils ahead 1-0.
Graduate transfer Charlie Beilenson entered the game in the fifth and worked two innings of no-hit baseball in his first outing as a Blue Devil.
Saint Joseph's scored its first run of the weekend on Saturday, using a leadoff double and a two-out double by Ryan Cesarini, to level the score at 1-1.
In the top of the eighth, sophomore Ryan Higgins worked around some trouble, getting the Hawks to ground into an inning ending 1-6-3 double play.
Senior Damon Lux produced the game winning run for the Blue Devils, flying out to center field to score Beshears from third. Beshears singled to right to start the inning, before moving around the bases on a failed pickoff attempt and a wild pitch.
Freshman James Tallon closed out the ninth, striking out the side to record his first save of his career.

NOTES

Junior righty Adam Boucher worked a strong four innings of two-hit baseball on Saturday evening, tallying five strikeouts. The five punchouts were one shy of tying a career-high for Boucher.
Junior transfer Jay Beshears continued his hot streak at the plate on Saturday, finishing the night 3-for-3 with an RBI and scoring the game-winning run.
Senior Damon Lux finished the night 1-for-2, drawing a walk and driving in the winning run in the bottom of the eighth.
Freshman James Tallon made his collegiate debut in Saturday's victory, entering in the ninth and striking out the side to record his first save.
Graduate transfer Charlie Beilenson worked a clean two innings in relief of Boucher, striking out four Hawks, as the Blue Devils tallied 14 strikeouts on the day.

QUOTES

"We have pitched great these first two days. Again, today only three walks and 14 strikeouts. I thought Boucher did really well. He fatigued a little into the fourth. I really didn't expect him to get to the fourth, but he was so efficient through the first three innings, we said let him go back out there. You could see in the fourth it start to catch up with him, that was as far as he had gone. He only pitched three innings in the fall, but you could see he was effective." – head coach Chris Pollard on the pitching and Adam Boucher's first start.
"I thought the play that Beshears made was big. They had squared some balls up and if that ball gets through, they go up 2-1. That was a heck of a backhanded play. That is the second day in a row that he has played really well." – On the play of Jay Beshears at second base.
"He's special. He is a really special arm and has done it since he got here in the fall. What you saw today, he has been doing since he got here. It is a tough ask of a freshman to make your first appearance in a 2-1 game where you have to close and he handled it really well." – On the freshman James Tallon's ability to shut the door on Saturday.