Last year, Duke took 33 games to reach its 10th win of the season.
It took the Blue Devils just 11 games to reach that mark this year-but not without some late-inning drama.
Duke (10-1) pulled out the 7-2 victory over North Carolina A&T (1-4) Tuesday at Jack Coombs Field thanks to dominant pitching performances by a pair of freshmen. The win, however, came only after the Aggies added some tension to the game by loading the bases with just one out in the ninth inning.
Before the ninth frame, Blue Devil rookies Michael Seander and Michael Ness had combined to allow two runs and just five hits, with one run coming off a line-drive home run to left field and the other coming off a late throw to first that could have forced the third out of the inning.
Duke went three up and three down in the bottom of the eighth, and Seander trotted out in hopes of recording his third save of the year.
But the game got tight quickly. Joe McIntyre led off the inning with a hard line drive to right field for North Carolina A&T, and Charlie Gamble followed up with a hard grounder to shortstop Will Currier, who could not get the throw to first on time.
After Nelson Santos hit a line drive to left that mirrored McIntyre's, the Blue Devils suddenly faced a potential trap with just one out.
Nevertheless, Seander did not flinch, even though the Aggies' next hitter, C.J. Beatty, had already recorded a deep hit earlier in the day.
"We felt good about Mike Seander," Duke head coach Sean McNally said. "We had a tough guy at the plate and we really wanted to make him put it in play. [Seander] had been around the zone, and we felt good that if he put it in play, defensively the way we were, we'd be in good shape."
McNally's confidence in Seander paid off, as the freshman got Beatty to hit into a double play to close out the game.
"We had a comfortable lead and [Seander] had been closing out games well, so I don't think anyone was nervous," Ness said.
Earlier in the game, Duke did not have any reason to be nervous. Ness showed his skills as North Carolina A&T went three up and three down in the first inning, and the Blue Devils wasted no time jumping out to a comfortable lead.
Duke's Ryan McCurdy led off the inning with a hit straight up the middle, and Jonathan Anderson followed with a sacrifice bunt to advance McCurdy to second. After Jimmy Gallagher-who leads the team in RBIs with 16-was hit by a pitch, Nate Freiman drove one into left field for two of his four RBIs.
From there, Freiman would contribute another two-run double as Ness continued to dominate the Aggies with his pitching.
"I just tried to throw strikes and they hit it in the right places," Ness said. "The only problem we have is when we get behind hitters, so I try and get ahead and get them out."
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