Sportswrap: Softball wins first regional in program history, women's tennis falls in Final Four

Duke softball is headed to Los Angeles for its first super regional appearance.
Duke softball is headed to Los Angeles for its first super regional appearance.

Sportswrap is your one-stop shop for everything Duke athletics, where we’ll recap how each of Duke’s sports currently in competition performed over the last week and give a brief look ahead. Here’s our recap for the week of May 16-22.

Softball

For the first time ever, Duke is heading to super regionals. The No.12-seed Blue Devils dismissed UMBC and Liberty Friday and Saturday behind back-to-back complete-game shutouts from graduate pitcher Peyton St. George. Sunday, they had two chances to defeat the Georgia Bulldogs, the foe that sent Duke packing from last year’s regional, to punch their ticket to the next round of action. Duke stranded ten on the way to a 5-3 loss in the first game of the day but stormed back from an early four-run deficit to take a 13-5 run-rule victory in the second, capped off with a Jameson Kavel walk-off double. Next week, Duke will face off with No. 5-seed UCLA on the West Coast. -Molly Honecker

Women’s tennis

After making its way to Champaign, Ill., and knocking off No. 6-seed N.C. State in a 4-3 thriller Friday in the Elite Eight, the third-seeded Blue Devils met their match in Saturday's semifinal against No. 2-seed Oklahoma. The Sooners threw the first punch, seizing the doubles point and fending off an unyielding Duke team long enough to end head coach Jamie Ashworth and the Blue Devils' remarkable run. It may not have been the ending that Duke had hoped for at the Final Four, but for a few select players, there's still tennis to be played: Junior Chloe Beck, senior Georgia Drummy and sophomore Karolina Berankova remain in Champaign this week for the NCAA Individual Championships. -Jonathan Levitan

Men’s golf

The Blue Devils' season came to an end as they finished in eighth place at the NCAA Columbus Regional with a score of 867 (+15). Only the top-five scoring teams were invited to the next round; the fifth place program, East Tennessee State, totaled 862 (+10). The Blue Devils were led by sophomore Jimmy Zheng, who posted 216 (+3) as well as sophomore Ian Siebers and freshman Kelly Chinn, who both shot 217 (+4). Duke had a slow start to the 2022 season, but it was much better during the middle of the season. Things didn’t work out in postseason play, but head coach Jamie Green has a lot of talent returning next year. -Jonah Pilnick

Baseball

For the first time since 2015, there will be a tournament season and Duke won’t be in it. The Blue Devils were swept by No. 3 Virginia Tech, capping a May in which they dropped seven of their final nine ACC games. Finishing 3.5 games out of ACC tournament qualification isn’t what a program with recent super regional appearances expects; but there have been bright spots to build off of, including strong showings from the freshmen duo of shortstop Alex Mooney and starting pitcher Jonathan Santucci and sophomore first baseman Luke Storm. -Em Adler

Rowing, track and field and men's tennis did not compete this past week.

After placing third at the ACC Championship, rowing earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Championship in Sarasota, Fla. The three-day event begins Friday.

Track and field will return to action Wednesday with 29 of its athletes headed to Bloomington, Ind., for the NCAA East Regional.

Men's tennis will not compete as a team again in 2021-22, but junior Garrett Johns received an at-large bid to the NCAA Singles Championship, which begins Monday.


Jonathan Levitan

Jonathan Levitan is a Trinity senior and was previously sports editor of The Chronicle's 118th volume.

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