A complete performance from the Blue Devils (15-9) gave them a confidence-boosting 13-1 win over High Point Tuesday night in Cary. The Panthers (16-9) came into the game with a .371 team batting average, one of the best in the nation, but were shut down by Duke’s starting pitcher, Chase Bebout. The 6-foot-6 freshman allowed just three hits and a single run in six innings of work, and he got solid relief from a trio of bullpen arms. Duke’s three relievers Tuesday—Ryan Knott, David Putman and Matt Morris—gave up just one hit between them to close out High Point.
The last few innings wouldn’t have been as comfortable for the Blue Devils, though, without a solid offensive performance against Panther starter Mike Caldwell, and Duke posted all the runs it would need in the bottom of the fourth inning. In that frame, the Blue Devils put six runs on the board, three of which came off a home run from freshman Marcus Stroman.
The homer was Stroman’s first at Duke, and turned a relatively easy win into a rout.
The Blue Devils jumped all over High Point early on, getting two runs in the first and four in the second while the Panthers remained scoreless. Shortstop Jake Lemmerman contributed to the Duke attack right away with a two-run homer in his first at-bat in the bottom of the first inning, and junior Dennis O’Grady gave Bebout a real cushion with a three-run double in the second frame.
Bebout cruised from there. After a hiccup in the third when he gave up a run, Bebout shut the Panthers out until he exited in the seventh.
For High Point, only third baseman Murray White IV had a night to remember. White had two hits and drove in the Panthers’ lone run on the evening.
Duke will be back on the field tonight, this time at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, for a meeting with local rival N.C. Central. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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