2009 ACC Baseball Championship: Duke Explodes Past Clemson, 10-4
Blue Devils score six in the sixth to roll past Tigers.
Duke's Jake Lemmerman had a double, triple and home run with 3 RBI.

Duke's Jake Lemmerman had a double, triple and home run with 3 RBI.

May 22, 2009

 

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    • DURHAM, N.C. (theACC.com) -- Duke exploded for six runs in the sixth inning Friday to break open a close game in a 10-4 victory over Clemson in the round-robin round of the 2009 ACC Baseball Championship.

    The victory kept the seventh-seeded Blue Devils (35-23) alive in Division B of the championship, pending the outcome of Friday night’s North Carolina-Virginia matchup. Clemson (39-19), now 0-2 in the ACC’s postseason event, was eliminated from championship game contention with the loss.

    Duke starter Andrew Wolcott (W, 8-3) and Clemson’s Chris Dwyer (L, 4-5) were locked in a tense pitcher’s duel through 5 1/3 innings with the Blue Devils nursing a narrow 2-1 lead after three solo home runs.

    But first baseman Nate Freiman opened the bottom of the sixth inning with a home run over the Blue Monster in left-center field. It was the 20th homer of the season for Freiman, allowing him to pull ahead of UNC’s Dustin Ackley in the ACC home run race. It was also the 43rd round-tripper of Freiman’s career -- giving him the Duke record in that category.

    The Blue Devils continued to score on Dwyer. Leftfielder Jeremy Gould followed Freiman’s blast with a bunt single, extending his hitting streak to 21 straight games. Shortstop Jake Lemmerman, who had earlier homered, tripled Gould home. After a pair of walks, third baseman Ryan McCurdy doubled in a run and right fielder Alex Hassan drove in two more runs with a single.

    The Blue Devils added two more runs in the seventh off reliever Clinton McKinney. Both Freiman and Lemmerman doubled in the inning.

    The Tigers finally got to Wolcott in the eighth inning -- scoring three runs, thanks to some erratic fielding by the normally steady Blue Devils. The Duke defense, which ranks fourth nationally in fielding percentage, committed two errors and allowed two unearned runs in the inning.

    But reliever Michael Ness got the last two outs in the eighth and completed a scoreless ninth to wrap up Duke’s first ACC championship win since a 2004 victory over Virginia.

    Notes

  • Duke’s Nate Freiman hit his 42nd career home run to move into a tie for first place on the Duke career home run chart. He is tied with Ryan Jackson.
  • Duke’s Jeremy Gould posted two hits in the win to extend his career long and league leading hit streak to 21 games.
  • Winning pitcher Andrew Walcott improved to 5-0 against ranked opposition in six outings. He has wins over North Carolina, Miami, Georgia Tech and Clemson (twice).
  • Duke’s Jake Lemmerman was only a single shy of the cycle after posting a home run, triple and double in the game.
  • The Blue Devil win is the first in the ACC Baseball Championship since 2004 when Duke topped second seeded Virginia, 6-5.
  • Duke remains in the race for Sunday’s finale with the win. However, the Blue Devils will need a Virginia win to stay alive entering the final day of divisional play.
  • The total attendance for the first eight games of the Championship is 17,958.
  • There have been 12 home runs hit in the six games of the ACC Baseball Championship. None have hit the famous “Durham Bull.” However, Virginia’s John Hicks hit a home run off the clouds on the lower left portion of the sign on Thursday night but did not hit the bull proper.
  • Game six’s duration of 2:54 held the Championship average game duration at 2:56.

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