After dropping two of three games in its first ACC road series despite scoring a combined 31 runs against then-No. 19 Virginia, Duke returned to Durham Tuesday looking to continue its recent offensive success.
And fueled by their bats, which broke the game open with an explosive eight-run third-inning, the Blue Devils got back in the win column.
Duke knocked off Davidson 8-6 victory Tuesday evening at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, with junior Michael Smiciklas' grand slam highlighting a huge offensive frame. After pouring in eight runs against the Wildcats, the Blue Devils have now scored at least six runs in five straight contests.
"We have a lot of veteran guys in the lineup now. Everybody has gotten a ton of at-bats already. All of our guys are swinging it really well," Smiciklas said. "I've been seeing the ball pretty well right now, and a lot of our guys are. It's really easy to get hits when your whole team is.... As long as we have confidence, I think we'll be able to carry this throughout the rest of the season."
After multiple base-running blunders slowed the Duke offense in the first two innings, the Blue Devils (14-13) came alive in the bottom of the third.
Duke climbed out to a 3-0 lead with four straight hits to start the inning, including an RBI double by sophomore Jimmy Herron and a two-run single by fellow sophomore Zack Kone. After starter Josh Hudson walked the bases loaded for Davidson (11-12), Smiciklas crushed a ball over the right centerfield wall, pushing the Blue Devils' lead to 7-0 with just one swing of the bat.
Smiciklas’ grand slam was his second hit of the game, and his second home run of the season. The Boca Raton, Fla., native has already doubled his home run total from last season and continues to earn more time at the No. 5 spot in head coach Chris Pollard's lineup.
"Inserting Mike Smiciklas into the 5-hole has been a big key. He's played great and given that top of the lineup a lot of protection," Pollard said. "I give him a lot of credit for the turn, the shift we've had here offensively."
Unfortunately for the home team, inconsistency from its pitching staff eventually allowed the Wildcats to climb back into the game as its offense was shut out the rest of the way. Following three no-hit innings from freshman starter Matt Mervis, who entered the game with an ERA higher than 10 from his time in relief, Duke’s bullpen woes continued.
Sophomore Hunter Davis allowed Davidson to get on the board with a three-run home run by Brett Centracchio in the fifth inning. Senior Kevin Lewallyn also struggled in the bullpen for the Blue Devils, allowing a pair of runs in the sixth inning on a two-run home run by Justin Lebek, and an RBI single by Lebek in the eighth cut the Duke lead to its final margin of two at 8-6.
The Blue Devil bullpen has now given up at least five runs in four of the last six contests and will need to be much sharper heading into the heart of ACC competition, when they will face some of the nation’s top offensive teams. Duke scored six runs apiece in its final two games at Virginia but surrendered 13 apiece in both contests.
"I actually thought today was really good. We left two pitches up, and they hammered both of them, but if you take away those two pitches, the bullpen was lights out today," Pollard said. "For me, a key is, 'Are our guys executing three pitches to the strike zone?' Every one of those guys did. We had a couple of things that we need to clean up. We walked a guy with two outs twice.... The second time we did, it hurt us, but all in all, I was very encouraged by what I saw out of our bullpen."
Tuesday's win likely held extra significance for Pollard, who graduated from Davidson in 1996 and has coached against his former head coach Dick Cooke—still the head coach of the Wildcats—several times now as the head man at Pfeiffer, Appalachian State and now Duke.
"It's gotten easier over the years. This is maybe the 30th time I've had to coach against Davidson," Pollard said. "It's still awkward to a degree trying to coach against the guy you played for, who is one of your best friends in the world and a guy who has been a mentor to you. What you try to do is really get locked in on your guys and not think about it a whole lot. [But] it does creep into your mind on game day."
Following the victory, the Blue Devils will turn around and host North Carolina A&T at 6 p.m. Wednesday in their second of six consecutive contests at the DBAP. Once again, Duke will be without one of its leaders offensively from a year ago, junior Justin Bellinger, who remains out indefinitely due to a hand injury.
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Digital Strategy Director for Vol. 115, Michael was previously Sports Editor for Vol. 114 and Assistant Blue Zone Editor for Vol. 113. Michael is a senior majoring in Statistical Science and is interested in data analytics and using data to make insights.