Lamar Drives No. 23 Duke to Series Victory Over No. 12 Virginia

Friday, April 3

Durham, N.C.

6 p.m.

Duke University

27-11, 12-2

Virginia

31-5, 9-4

Virginia

Duke

Lamar Drives No. 23 Duke to Series Victory Over No. 12 Virginia

4/3/2026 11:26:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

DURHAM, N.C. – Sophomore Layla Lamar shot a two-RBI double to left center field in the bottom of the fifth to drive in the go-ahead runs and lead No. 23 Duke past No. 12 Virginia, 4-3, Friday night at Smith Family Stadium.

Lamar finished 1-for-3 at the plate while recording the ninth multi-RBI performance of her Blue Devil career. Graduate student Tyrina Jones, seniors Aminah Vega and D'Auna Jennings and redshirt junior Kairi Rodriguez accounted for Duke's other four hits on the night.

With the win, the Blue Devils (27-11, 12-2 ACC) clinched their fifth straight conference series victory. The Cavaliers dropped their first ACC series of the year and move to 31-5 overall and 9-4 in conference play.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Duke took the first lead of the game after Vega slipped a base hit up the middle and moved to second on redshirt junior Jessica Oakland's one-out walk. Vega then stole third and came home on a Cavaliers' throwing error to give the Blue Devils an early 1-0 advantage.
Virginia knotted the score at 1-1 in the top of the fourth using an RBI-single from Madison Greene.
In the top of the fifth, Virginia's Bella Cabral delivered an RBI-double to right center field to push the Cavaliers ahead, 2-1.
Lamar answered in the home half with her two-out double to the left center field wall. The RBI knock scored freshman Ariel Krueger, pinch running for Oakland, and Jones to put the Blue Devils back in front, 3-2.
Jennings added an insurance run in the sixth, lifting a sacrifice fly to center field to bring in freshman London Collins from third. Collins entered to run for Rodriguez, who reached on a leadoff single and advanced on a groundout and wild pitch.
Virginia sparked a two-out rally in the seventh, plating another run on Macee Eaton's double to the right center field gap, but senior Cassidy Curd settled back in to strike out the final batter and seal the 4-3 win.

NOTES

Sophomore Mallory Wheeler earned the win inside the circle and moved to 7-4 on the year. Wheeler tossed 2.1 innings of relief while scattering six hits and surrendering two runs.
Curd took over late in the game, allowing just one run of two hits to pick up her eighth career save.
Jennings and Vega each extended their hitting streak to nine straight games.
Duke now leads the all-time series, 15-3, including a 10-2 record when playing at Smith Family Stadium.
The Blue Devils earned their ninth ranked win of the season and sixth over a top-15 opponent.

UP NEXT
Duke and Virginia close out the three-game series Saturday. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. and will air on ACC Network Extra with Raine Wilson and Chris Edwards on the call.

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