Duke put an end to its four-game losing streak by taking two of three over the weekend to win its series against Radford at Jack Coombs Field.
The Blue Devils (4-6) turned in their finest pitching performance of the season Friday, as juniors Danny Otero and Jonathan Anderson combined to shut out the Highlanders, holding them to just four hits in a 6-0 victory.
Otero (2-0) went the first six innings, striking out six while not walking a batter. Anderson finished the shutout with three perfect innings.
The following day, Duke showcased its offense, clobbering Radford, 15-4, with the help of Brett Bartles' explosive bat. Bartles had seven RBIs in the first three innings, notching a single, double, and three-run home run to right-center field. The shortstop's timely hitting, including a single with the bases loaded that plated three runs, lifted the Blue Devils to a commanding 12-2 lead after three frames.
"[Brett]'s done a nice job hitting in that three-hole and swinging the bat real well," head coach Sean McNally said. "What really impressed me was that he drove the ball to right-center field. He showed a lot of maturity."
Duke failed to complete the sweep Sunday, when the Highlanders salvaged the final game of the series, 8-5. The Blue Devils fell victim to defensive lapses and a lack of timely hitting. Although each team had 10 hits, Radford (1-5) manufactured more runs by capitalizing on three Duke errors.
Radford broke open the game with three runs in the second inning and four more in the third. Steven Ellis started the rally in the second with a two-out walk, which was followed by a Ben Toth single and RBI doubles by Will Naylor and David Landham.
Back-to-back walks and two errors in the third inning allowed the Highlanders to cross the plate four more times on only two hits.
"Defensively, you can't give somebody extra outs," McNally said. "Give a team extra outs, and they're probably going to score."
The Blue Devils responded to both Radford rallies with two runs of their own in both the second and third innings. Singles by freshman Matt Williams and seniors Javier Socorro and Adam Murray led to two runs in the second inning.
Tim Sherlock drove in Anderson with a triple and scored on a Bartles groundout in the third to cut the Radford lead to 7-4.
That was as close as Duke would get, however, as each team's relief corps shut down the opposition. Juniors Tony Bajoczky and Anderson combined to give up only one earned run in seven innings in relief of starter Jimmy Gallagher (1-2) for the Blue Devils. Five Highlander pitchers, meanwhile, allowed only one run on four Duke hits in the final five innings. Reliever John Lloyd (1-0) got the win for Radford.
"Radford just played better," McNally said. "They did a better job defensively. That was the difference."
The Radford defense turned in its biggest play when it needed it most, completing a 5-5-3 double play to quell a potential 9th-inning rally by the Blue Devils.
Despite Sunday's loss, Duke was happy with its weekend performance.
"The goal every weekend is to win series, and we did that again," McNally said. "I definitely have a positive feeling about the weekend."
Duke travels to East Carolina Tuesday and UNC-Wilmington Wednesday before opening its ACC schedule this weekend at home against Maryland.
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