DURHAM, N.C. – Duke baseball opened the weekend with a combined shutout, asÂ
Aidan Weaver,Â
Peter Lemke,Â
Ben Dean andÂ
Aiden O'Connell allowed only two hits as Duke topped Miami 4-0 on Friday at Jack Coombs Field.Â
Weaver went six innings and surrendered a pair of hits and a walk while fanning eight and hitting one. Lemke came in for the next two frames, yielding only two walks and striking out two. Dean recorded the first two outs in the ninth before O'Connell came in with the bases loaded and ended the game with a strikeout.Â
Weaver improved to 4-1 while O'Connell registered his fourth save of the campaign. Weaver has gone five or more innings while surrendering two or fewer runs and fanning eight or more in three of his five starts this spring. With the victory, Duke ups its record to 14-6 overall and 2-2 in ACC action while Miami dips to 13-5 and 1-3 in league play.Â
Tyler Albright did the heavy lifting for Duke's offense with a solo home run and bases-loaded walk.Â
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HOW IT HAPPENED
- Tyler Albright led off the bottom of the first with a solo home run to give Duke an immediate lead.Â
- Aidan Weaver faced just one over the minimum through the first four innings, thanks in part to a pair of double plays.Â
- Weaver got all the extra run support he needed in the bottom of the fourth as the Blue Devils pushed across three to go ahead 4-0.
- Kaden Smith and Matthew Strand led off the bottom of the fourth with consecutive singles. A sacrifice bunt attempt by Ben Petrone scored Smith as Miami starting pitcher AJ Ciscar threw wide to first base. Strand advanced to third on the play with Petrone safe at first.
- After a fielder's choice, walk and strikeout left the bases loaded with two outs, Albright walked to force in Petrone for a 3-0 Duke lead. A balk brought in the final run.Â
- Weaver sent down the Hurricanes in order in the fifth, backed by a pair of diving stop by Coltin Quagliano and Jake Lambdin. The senior exited after the sixth, having allowed a leadoff single in the second and sixth as his only hits surrendered.Â
- Miami put a runner on in the seventh with a leadoff walk and the eighth on a free pass with one out, but neither runner advanced to second base.Â
- Ben Dean and Aiden O'Connell wiggled out of trouble in the ninth to preserve the Duke victory. After a strikeout and fly out started the inning, Dean walked the next three to fill the bases. O'Connell entered in a save situation and struck out Dylan Dubovik on three pitches to end the contest.Â
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UP NEXT
- Duke goes for the series victory on Saturday with a 4 p.m. first pitch on ACC Network Extra.Â
- Fans can purchase tickets here.
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