Before Friday, the last time the Duke baseball team won an NCAA Tournament game was 61 years ago, which was also the last time the Blue Devils reached the College World Series.
Perhaps it’s time to break up the Blue Devils as they moved one step closer to Omaha by sweeping Georgia on Monday on the final day of the NCAA Athens Regional, winning the opener 8-5 and qualifying for the NCAA Super Regional with a 8-4 victory in the evening game.
Duke (44-16) recorded 11 hits – including home runs by Griffin Conine and Kennie Taylor in the seventh inning – and received an more-than-serviceable outing from long reliever Graeme Stinson (four innings, six hits, one run, eight strikeouts) to come from behind in the first game.
In the nightcap, the Blue Devils pounded Georgia pitchers for nine hits, as Conine hit two more home runs and Jimmy Herron and Zack Kone added additional blasts. Duke let starter Mitch Stallings (seven innings, seven hits, four runs, six strikeouts) and closer Jack Labosky take it from there.
Tucker Bradley led the Bulldogs (39-21) in the first game with two hits and three RBIs, and Aaron Schunk and L.J. Talley provided a little offense with two hits each in the elimination game.
The meat of Georgia’s order had its share of troubles in both games Monday, as Keegan McGovern, Michael Curry and Adam Sasser went a collective 2-for-22 with two runs and one RBI, which came courtesy of a Curry home run in the fourth inning of the second game.
The Blue Devils will play in the Texas Tech Super Regional in Lubbock, Texas.
