Duke baseball suffered a tough weekend on the road, falling 10-5 to No. 18 Stanford on Sunday night to complete a series sweep. Despite building an early lead, the Blue Devils failed to hold on, heading back to Durham winless as they prepare for the heart of conference play.
After struggling offensively in the first two games of the series, Duke came out strong on Sunday, jumping to a 4-0 lead. Senior right-hander Ryan Higgins kept Stanford off the board through two innings, but trouble began in the third. A pickoff attempt at first base nearly cleared the bases for Duke, but after review, the runner was ruled safe. Moments later, Stanford’s Trevor Haskins capitalized, launching a two-run homer to cut the lead in half.
Duke’s bullpen entered to stop the momentum, but relief pitcher Edward Hart was unable to contain Stanford’s offense. A quick single set the stage for freshman star Rintaro Sasaki, who had already hit two home runs in Saturday’s game. He nearly added a third, but right fielder Tyler Albright made the catch just in front of the wall.
Still, Stanford continued its rally. A walk and an RBI double from Brady Reynolds made it 4-3. With two outs, a fly ball to right field looked like the inning’s final out, but Albright dropped it near the foul line, allowing two more runs to score and giving Stanford the lead.
Duke briefly responded in the fourth inning with an RBI double from Wallace Clark, tying the game at 5-5. However, Stanford wasted no time regaining control. With reliever Gabe Nard still on the mound, Sasaki crushed a three-run homer to right center, putting Stanford up 8-5. Two batters later, Jimmy Nati followed with a solo shot, extending the lead to 9-5.
Despite a promising start at the plate, Duke’s bats fell silent late in the game. After scoring in the fourth, the Blue Devils managed just one baserunner in the final four innings. Stanford added one final run in the seventh to seal the 10-5 win.
Duke’s bullpen, expected to be one of the team’s strengths, has struggled early in the season. Sunday’s loss was another example of its inconsistency, as three Duke pitchers combined to allow five earned runs and give up the lead.
Looking ahead, Duke will try to regroup in a midweek home game against UConn before hitting the road again for a conference series against No. 23 Virginia.
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