Next game:
in North Carolina
03/18/2023 | 2 p.m.
ACCNX
March 18 (Sat) / 2 p.m.
in North Carolina
CHAPEL HILL, NC — No. 15 Duke Softball (22-5, 5-2 ACC) beat North Carolina (10-17, 1-3 ACC), 9-7, Friday afternoon to open his three-game weekend streak at Anderson Stadium.
Junior Claire Davison led the team on a crucial two-out exchange in the top of the sixth, scoring two runs to push the Blue Devils ahead, 9-7. The Lakewood Ranch, Fla. native finished the night at bat 3-for-4 with two RBIs and recorded her seventh all-time game of the season.
HOW DID IT HAPPEN
The Blue Devils took an early lead in the first period after a two-point strike from junior Kelly Torres gave the team a 4-0 lead. North Carolina responded in the bottom half with four runs to even the score, 4-4. Davidson sparked the offense again in third when a hard-hit ball down the middle brought it to second and moved on a hit by junior Francesca Frelick. North Carolina’s Makenna Raye Dark walked the next two batters to push another Duke run and senior Gisele Tapia extended the lead with an RBI single to score Frelick. The Tar Heels fought back again, scoring a run late in the third and fourth, to make it 6-6. Duke scored three runs on a pair of hits from Davidson and rookie Aminah Vega to complete its nine runs in the top of the sixth inning. Freshman Cassidy Curd worked her way out of the final frame to leave the bases loaded with the go-ahead at home plate. NOTES The 9-7 win marked Duke’s first road win over North Carolina in program history. Graduate student Deja Davis played in her 200th career game, earning a starting position in 186. Davidson and Torres each had two RBIs on the night, their 17th and 19th of the season, respectively. Junior Jala Wright got her 10th start in the circle and went 5.0 innings to go 5-2 this season. FOLLOWING
Duke and North Carolina continue the three-game series Saturday afternoon. The first pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.
To stay up to date with Blue Devils softball, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching “https://goduke.com/news/2023/3/18/DukeSOFTBALL”.
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