O’Grady single lifts Duke past Fordham in Blue Devils’ home debut
DURHAM BULLS ATHLETIC PARK/DURHAM Duke has a new primary home for its baseball team, and the Blue Devils are hosting their first home game on a very nippy afternoon.
For their sake, at least the sun is out.
The opponent is Fordham in the opener of a three-game series. It’s the first meeting with the Rams since the spring of 1941. Before World War II, even. History.
Duke will play 18 games at the Durham Bulls’ facility and 13 at Jack Coombs Field, with every home ACC series here except the one against Florida State April 16-18 during the Bulls’ opening homestand.
Duke will try to qualify for the ACC Tournament for the second straight season, making its first appearance since 2005 last season when the event was in Durham. The Blue Devils are 1-3 after playing in an event at Baylor last weekend that included a victory over No. 22 Georgia.
The park isn’t quite ready for prime time, as the concrete in the grandstands is being resealed and almost every seat in the primary seating bowl except for the box seats has been temporarily removed for the project. The Blue Devils’ first workout here was Thursday.
Duke goes today with Michael Ness (0-0, 1.80), while Max Krakowiak (0-1, 0.00) starts for the Rams. And the Blue Devils survive with a bottom-of-the-ninth rally in a 5-4 victory.
Fordham scores a run in the first when leadoff man Brian Kownacki doubles past first and scores on Chris Walker’s double to right.
Duke retaliates in the bottom of the frame, as Ryan McCurdy hits a one-out double to left and scores on Jeremy Walker’s two-out double to right.
The Blue Devils add a run in the third as Marcus Stroman leads off with a triple to left and scores on a wild pitch.
Fordham gets two in the fourth on Nick Martinez’s two-out single to left. But the Devils tie it in the bottom of the frame as Will Piwnica-Worms reaches on an error to shortstop Kownacki and later scores on Gabriel Saade’s single to third.
Duke scores a go-ahead run in the eighth off lefty Rich Anastasi. Dennis O’Grady draws a leadoff walk, then takes third on a single to left by pinch-hitter Will Currier. Saade’s fly ball to right scores the run. Continue reading »
