Smith Walks Off ECU With Three-Run Shot

Tuesday, March 24

Durham, N.C.

4 p.m.

Duke University

17-10

East Carolina

15-10-1

East Carolina

Duke

Kaden Smith celebrates his walk-off home run against ECU

Smith Walks Off ECU With Three-Run Shot

3/24/2026 9:12:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

DURHAM, N.C. - Duke graduate Kaden Smith blasted a three-run shot to left field in the bottom of the ninth, lifting Duke past East Carolina, 9-8, on Tuesday, March 24. The Blue Devils (17-10) earned their fourth consecutive victory over the Pirates (15-10-1) for the first time in program history.

Smith finished the day 3-for-4 at the plate with three RBI and ended a triple shy of the cycle with a single, double and his walk-off homer. The Charleston Southern transfer now has tied or given Duke the lead in the ninth inning in back-to-back games, after looping a game-tying single in the top of the ninth at Virginia Tech on Sunday, March 22. Smith has now tallied two walk-off knocks this season, with Tuesday's heroics joining his game-winning single in the bottom of the ninth against Notre Dame on March 7.

RJ Hamilton and Matthew Strand also posted multi-RBI performances with each driving in two runs. Hamilton sent a ball 426 feet to straight-away center field for a two-run home run, his second of the season, while Strand highlighted his afternoon by legging out his first triple of the season.

Caleb Anderson (1-0) earned the win on the mound for the Blue Devils, giving up just one hit and striking out four across 2.1 innings of work.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Duke got on the board in the bottom of the first. Kaden Smith reached with a single and advanced to second after a Matthew Strand base hit. Collin Anderson brought home Smith with a looping RBI single to shallow center field, giving the Blue Devils an early 1-0 lead.
The Pirates leveled the score in the top of the third with an RBI groundout. Duke answered right back and regained the lead as RJ Hamilton went 426 feet to center field for a two-run homer.
East Carolina took its first lead in the top of the fourth with three runs on a two-out, bases-loaded double. The visitors tacked on another run in the fifth, with another RBI groundout, to take a 5-3 lead.
Smith led off the home half of the sixth with a double to left field and Coltin Quagliano made it a one-run affair, scoring Smith off an RBI single to center.
After conceding three runs in the top of the seventh to go down 8-4, Duke got within two at 8-6 in the bottom half of the frame as Strand smoked a two-RBI triple to the wall, bringing Tyler Albright and Smith around to score.
A pair of clean innings by Caleb Anderson, in the eighth and ninth, set up Duke for the walk-off victory in the ninth.
Brooks Perez started the frame with a five-pitch walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Albright advanced Perez 90 feet with a single and Smith came to the plate with one out. The designated hitter crushed the first pitch he saw over the home bullpen in left field, giving Duke the 9-8 victory.

UP NEXT

Duke (17-10, 4-5 ACC) travels to No. 10 Florida State (19-4, 5-1 ACC) for a weekend series March 27-29.
The Blue Devils and Seminoles open the series at 6 p.m. Friday before playing on ACC Network at 2 p.m. on Saturday. The series finale is scheduled for a 1 p.m. first pitch Sunday.

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