Duke's baseball team did its best impersonation of the Comeback Kids this past weekend, winning two out of three games against the Cincinnati Bearcats in stunning come-from-behind fashion.
The comeback began for the Blue Devils (4-2) after dropping a 3-2 12-inning decision against the Bearcats (1-2) Friday. Trailing 3-1 in the seventh inning Saturday, Duke exploded for 11 runs in the seventh and eighth frames for a solid 12-3 victory.
"I'm really happy with the way our guys battled all weekend," head coach Bill Hillier said. "I've said all along that I've been very pleased with the way they've been competing."
However, the Blue Devils may have saved their best for Sunday, when freshman J.J. Koterba drew a two-out, bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the eighth inning that brought in pinch-runner Santerrio Landrum for a 7-6 Duke victory.
Duke fell into an early hole when pitcher Greg Burke was shelled early, allowing four runs before notching his second out.
Nonetheless, the Blue Devils responded admirably. Freshman Eric Baumann opened the scoring in the bottom of the first with his second collegiate hit, a double to right that plated fellow freshman Jonathan Anderson. Groundout RBIs in the first and third frames by sophomore Brian Hernandez cut the deficit to 4-3.
The Bearcats responded with two runs in the top of the fifth, but RBI doubles by Koterba and sophomore Javier Socorro in the fifth and seventh innings, respectively, cut the deficit to 6-5, setting the stage for a wild finish.
After an Anderson foulout, three consecutive Blue Devil batters reached base on a walk and two hit batsmen. Hernandez then drew a walk to tie the score, and a strikeout by junior Bryan Smith set up Koterba's game-winner.
Freshman Danny Otero pitched five scoreless innings in relief for his first collegiate win.
"I think it was a great win today for us." Hernandez said. "They got on us early, but our pitching held them."
In the series' first game, the Bearcats nudged the Blue Devils after a wild pitch by freshman David Torcise scored Bearcat outfielder Erik Eitel. The loss spoiled Blue Devil Anderson's first multi-hit game and a sterling pitching effort from Tim Layden, who allowed only three base runners and no runs in four innings of work.
The second matchup the Blue Devils put the game out of reach with a nine-run seventh inning. Smith provided a bases-loaded double, and Hernandez supplied the exclamation point to the inning with a two-run shot to left.
"It was unbelievable," Hernandez said of the home run, smiling. "I've been waiting for over a year now, and it felt good to finally do it."
The victories have sent morale through the roof on this young Blue Devils squad.
"We're just sky-high right now; we're so happy." Anderson said. "It's great to have two come-from-behind wins especially like yesterday and today, and hopefully we'll carry it forward to Wednesday against High Point and this weekend against Radford."
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