Strong Pitching and Middle Innings Barrage Lifts Duke Over No. 23 Virginia

Friday, March 21

Charlottesville, VA

6 p.m.

Duke University

14-9, 3-4

Virginia

12-8, 3-4

Duke

Virginia

Strong Pitching and Middle Innings Barrage Lifts Duke Over No. 23 Virginia

3/21/2025 11:38:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Postgame Notes (PDF)

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – For the first time in ACC play and the first time on the road this season, Duke (14-9, 3-4 ACC) secured a series-opening victory over the No. 23 Virginia Cavaliers (12-8, 3-4 ACC) on Friday night, downing the Hoos, 9-5.

Junior Owen Proksch made his first career start on the mound Friday, giving the Blue Devils 3.1 innings of work. He allowed three runs on three hits and struck out three batters, before handing the ball off to fellow junior Gabe Nard in the bottom of the fourth inning. Nard worked the next 2.2 innings, earning his second win of the season, improving to 2-1 on the year.

Ben Miller opened the scoring for the Blue Devils in the top of the fourth inning, crushing his 11th home run of the season, a three-run shot to left-center field, 3-0. Virginia would respond in the bottom half of the frame, tying the ballgame, 3-3. The Blue Devils, a team that entering Friday evening in Virginia had scored 35.5% of their runs from the fourth to sixth innings this season, had an answer scoring two runs in the fifth and two in the sixth to extend the lead to 6-3.

In the fifth, Jake Berger tripled to left center field, scoring Ben Rounds from third, before Miller singled through the shift to push the lead to 5-3. Duke added some much-needed insurance in the sixth, as Macon Winslow doubled to right center and Rounds tripled to center field, 7-3. Winslow and Rounds added to the lead once again in the seventh, pushing Duke's advantage to 9-3.

With a six-run advantage, Duke called on graduate Reid Easterly to halt the Cavaliers down the stretch. Easterly allowed two runs in the seventh but went on to shut down the Virginia offense in the eighth and ninth innings to secure his third save of the season.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Duke opened the scoring in the top of the fourth inning, as Ben Miller launched a three-run home run to left center field, 3-0.
Virginia tied the ballgame in the bottom of the fourth inning, 3-3.
The Blue Devils regained the lead in the top of the fifth inning, as Jake Berger tripled to left center field to score Ben Rounds from first. Miller singled through the left side to score Rounds from third, 5-3.
Duke added some insurance in the top of the sixth inning, as Macon Winslow doubled to right center field. Rounds tripled to center field to score Winslow from second, 7-3.
The Blue Devils tacked on a run in the top of the seventh inning, as Winslow singled up the middle to score Tyler Albright from second. Rounds singled through the left side to score AJ Gracia from second, 9-3.
The Cavaliers cut into the lead in the bottom of the seventh inning, 9-5.

NOTES

Junior Owen Proksch made his first career start on the mound Friday, giving the Blue Devils 3.1 innings of work, allowing three runs on three hits and striking out three batters. His length in Friday's start is a new career-high in innings for the southpaw.
Graduate Ben Miller opened the scoring for the Blue Devils in the top of the fourth inning, crushing his 11th home run of this season to left center field. He finished the day 2-for-5, collecting his ninth multi-hit contest of the season. The Durham, N.C., native is now two home runs from cracking the Duke all-time home run list, after blasting 15 during the 2024 season. Miller also tallied four RBI on Friday, his team-leading 10th multi-RBI contest of the season.
Senior Wallace Clark increased his reached base safely streak to 23 games, drawing two walks in Friday's victory.
Junior Gabe Nard improved to 2-1 on the season, working 2.2 innings and allowing one hit. He struck out one Cavalier and tossed two zero's on the scoreboard for Duke.
Graduate right-hander Reid Easterly collected his third save of the season, tossing the final three innings in relief for the Blue Devils. Easterly allowed two runs on two hits and struck out three batters.
Duke's win on Friday night marks the first Friday victory in ACC play this season and the first road win of the year. In the past four series against the Cavaliers, Duke has won the Friday night game all four times since 2023.
Friday night was Duke's first ranked win of the season, knocking off No. 23 Virginia.

QUOTES

"It was a credit to Wallace Clark and Jake Berger there in the fourth of grinding out some at-bats. That was as good as I have seen Jay Woolfolk pitch now for four years. He has a great arm and has had a great career here. I thought tonight he was as good as I have ever seen him. We needed to get a baserunner on, and Clark got to first and that divided his attention a little bit. They started to get preoccupied with controlling the run game and we were able to stay active at second. We call it forcing a divided mind and Ben Miller got a hanging slider and didn't miss it. I thought from there we strung together some good at-bats." – Head coach Chris Pollard on settling into the ballgame after Virginia no-hit Duke through the first three innings.
"It was a tough ask from us. He [Owen Proksch] was in a closer role as of last Sunday at Stanford. He didn't have a true week to prepare for this, but he is such a great competitor. I think he is one of the best competitors we have had since I have been at Duke, and I knew he would give us everything he's got. You could tell when he went back out there in the second and third innings that he had so much adrenaline there in the first, that he got out of his delivery a little bit. He was kind of fighting his delivery a little bit the rest of the way and that is something that we can work on this week. It was a lot of swing and miss on the fastball and when he gets back in his delivery there is a lot of swing and miss on his slider too. Hopefully, he can grow into that role for us down the stretch." – On Owen Proksch's first collegiate start after 61 appearances out of the bullpen.