ATLANTA-The baseball team headed to Atlanta on Friday with spirits high and the outlook bright for its three-game series against Georgia Tech. Then the rains came.
Winners of seven in a row, and 11 out of their last 12, the Blue Devils (26-5, 4-3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference) had attained a national ranking of 17, the highest ever under head coach Steve Traylor. Unfortunately, the wheels of Traylor's young squad got stuck in the Georgia mud, as rain forced the rescheduling of Saturday's game into a Sunday doubleheader, which Georgia Tech (19-9, 5-1) swept easily, 15-7 and 13-5.
The series started on a high note, as Duke rallied from a 4-3 deficit to capture a 6-5 victory in Friday's game. Senior lefthander David Darwin got the win in relief, allowing just two hits and two walks in three and a third innings.
The sloppy field conditions at Tech's Russ Chandler Stadium could not slow down the Blue Devils, who recorded their first win against the Yellow Jackets since 1992. Sophomore designated hitter Adam Geis slammed a two-run homer and third baseman Jeff Becker added two runs batted in. From there, however, the weekend was all downhill.
Heavy rains covered Atlanta all day Saturday, forcing the two teams to postpone the second game of the series. As a result, Sunday's meeting became a doubleheader of seven-inning games. Any momentum Duke hoped to carry from Friday's triumph was erased by the weather. Cold, overcast skies greeted the teams again on Sunday, and the results were equally dreary.
In the first game, Yellow Jacket Scott Byers put on a one-man hitting exhibition, going 4-for-4 and driving in a remarkable eight runs. Byers homered, doubled and singled twice as Tech pounded out 18 hits. Byers was not finished, however. He also added a single and a two-run homer in the nightcap, giving him 10 RBIs for the afternoon and helping Tech to a clean sweep.
For the Blue Devils, senior Scott Schoeneweis suffered only his second loss of the season in Sunday's first game. He entered the game with a team-leading 1.09 earned run average, but he yielded nine runs, eight of which were earned.
"They hit him well," Traylor said. "He was getting up in the strike zone and just didn't have his normal stuff. He said he was never really able to get loose, and I'm sure the weather had something to do with that."
Indeed, the weather was troublesome for Duke pitchers all afternoon. In the second game, freshman Steven Cowie took the hill, but lasted only two and two-thirds innings. Both Schoeneweis and Cowie have had serious arm injuries, and pitching in cold weather can often be difficult for them. Cowie never looked comfortable, as the Yellow Jackets jumped on him for two quick runs in the first, and then erupted for seven more in the third. Meanwhile, Tech starter David Elder was spectacular, striking out 12 Blue Devils in six innings, while allowing just five hits and one walk.
"We didn't get the kind of pitching that it's gonna take to play with these guys," Traylor said.
Tech set the tone early in the first game when five of its first six batters reached base. Byers' three-run blast put the Yellow Jackets up 4-0. Duke rallied, however, as second baseman Frankie Chiou's two-run double capped a five-run second inning.
Tech struck for another big inning in the fourth, scoring seven runs on seven hits. The Yellow Jackets sent 12 men to the plate and knocked Schoeneweis out of the game. Coach Danny Hall's squad never looked back, adding two more in the fifth to make the final 15-7. Sophomore Kris Wilson got the win, going the distance and allowing just four earned runs.
After just a 20-minute break, the teams hurriedly started the second game, hoping to finish the doubleheader without any more inclement weather. Once again the big inning hurt the Blue Devils, who found themselves down 9-0 after just two innings. Elder kept them at bay, overpowering Duke's hitters with a hard fastball and sharp curve. The sophomore struck out the side in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. Still, Traylor was pleased with his team's effort.
"We did what we had to do," Traylor said. "We came in here and got a win. Most people, coming in here [to face Tech], are gonna try like heck just to win one. To expect two wins might have been expecting a little too much."
Traylor was impressed with the Blue Devils for refusing to give up on Sunday. Down 13-0 heading into the top of the seventh inning, Duke rallied for five runs with defeat staring it smack in the face.
That kind of resilience will be needed when Duke resumes ACC play this weekend against Virginia at Jack Coombs Field. The Blue Devils will be without designated hitter Adam Geis, who pulled a hamstring and is out indefinitely. Pitcher Jim Wendling is also recovering from injury, leaving Traylor's pitching staff undermanned.
"We're relying pretty much on seven pitchers, and [injuries] have put us down to five guys who have given us a lot of quality innings," Traylor said. "We've gone through Tech and Clemson, [and went] 3-3 through those two series. Along with FSU, those are the top teams in the conference."
The Blue Devils remain upbeat as they look ahead, and Traylor put a positive spin on Sunday's disappointment.
"Those are the first two games we've been out of, but we didn't quit so I'm happy," Traylor said.
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