Blue Devils Take Series from No. 12 Louisville with Walk-Off Winner

Saturday, April 22

Durham, N.C.

7 PM

Duke University

Louisville

Blue Devils Take Series from No. 12 Louisville with Walk-Off Winner

4/23/2023 12:23:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Postgame Notes (PDF)Coach Pollard Postgame Interview Photo Gallery

DURHAM – Junior Alex Stone singled through the right side of the infield to score graduate transfer Cole Hebble from second base, to lift Duke (26-12, 11-8 ACC), 7-6, over No. 12 Louisville on Saturday. Freshman James Tallon earned his first career victory, closing out the last two innings of the game.

The Blue Devils have now recorded seven top-15 victories on the season, clinching back-to-back ranked series.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Sophomore Alex Mooney scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the first inning, 1-0.
Louisville tied the ballgame in the top of the second, 1-1.
The Cardinals took the lead in the top of the third inning, 2-1.
Mooney hit a solo home run to tie the ballgame in the bottom of the fourth, 2-2. Graduate transfer MJ Metz hit a three-run home run to give Duke the lead, 5-2.
Louisville cuts into the Duke lead in the top of the sixth inning, 5-3.
The Cardinals scratch across another run on a wild pitch, 5-4.
Freshman Tyler Albright singled to right center to score Giovanni DiGiacomo from second, 6-4.
Louisville tied the ballgame in the top of the eighth on a two-run home run, 6-6.
Junior Alex Stone singled through the right side to score Cole Hebble from second, 7-6.

NOTES

Sophomore Alex Mooney finished the game 1-for-1 with five walks and scored two runs.
Graduate transfer MJ Metz hit his seventh home run of the season on Saturday, a three-run shot in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Junior Alex Stone finished the day 1-for-5, hitting the walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth to score Cole Hebble.
Duke Baseball drew 12 walks off the Louisville pitching staff, a new season high for the Cardinals.

QUOTES

"I am really proud of Tyler Albright. He came in and got the start there and had a really good at bat early, made a big play in left field, then has a big RBI at bat. We stayed in the fight again tonight. A great example of that is James Tallon. First time he has blown a save, but he is human, and we forget that because he has been so good. He got squeeze a bit, ends up walking a guy and McRoy, really special ball player got on time with a fastball and tied the ballgame. The way he settled back down was huge. I told him that was the most proud I have been of him all year, the way he was able to respond in the eighth and then put a zero up in the ninth." – Head coach Chris Pollard on the second walk-off win in as many days.
"100%. Gio had a really good at bat. Cole Hebble got us started in the ninth and Albright as I mentioned, proud of him executing the sacrifice bunt in the ninth to give us a chance to walk it off." – On the bottom of the order producing once again.