Duke Walks Off, 7-6, to Take Series

Sunday, March 22

Durham, N.C.

1:00 PM

Pitt

10-12, 4-5

Duke

18-6, 4-5

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Pitt	3	0	0	1	2	0	0	0	0	6	12	2
Duke	1	2	0	0	0	0	1	2	1	7	10	2

Duke Walks Off, 7-6, to Take Series

3/22/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

March 22, 2015

Box Score

DURHAM, N.C. - For the second time in three games, Duke's senior second baseman Andy Perez delivered what was the game's fatal blow to hand the Pitt baseball team (10-12, 4-5 ACC) a defeat and give the Blue Devils (18-6, 4-5 ACC) the conference series victory on Sunday at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

"Any mistake that we make, which has been characteristic of our club lately, comes back to hurt us," said head coach Joe Jordano. "We played five innings of baseball today, and the last four we didn't do much of anything. This is a team that has to learn to play nine innings of baseball. We have to play complete games, we have to be smarter baseball players, and once we get that right - I think we're going to be a pretty good baseball team."

The contest played out like two distinctly separate games, the former controlled by the Panthers, while Duke dominated the latter.

The squad registered six extra-base hits, including five doubles (one short of their season best), while outhitting the Blue Devils, 12-10. Aaron Schnurbusch led the charge with a 3-for-4, 2 RBI effort that included two doubles and a triple. The last Panther to record two doubles in a game was Manny Pazos earlier this month on Mar. 10 against Niagara.

Junior Marc Berube (0-2, 2.79) made his fifth start of the year going a strong 7.0 innings, charged with one earned run (four total), and striking out six with no walks. The Quebec native allowed three runs in the first two innings but clamped down from innings three through six while retiring 13 consecutive batters.

Opposite of Berube was Duke's Bailey Clark (2-1, 2.50), whom the Panthers chased after a season-low 3.0 innings on nine hits and four runs. His immediate relief proved to be little help, as Ryan Day and James Ziemba combined for just the next 1.1 innings while Ziemba gave up two runs to make the count 6-3 before the game shifted towards Duke.

Redshirt sophomore Jacob Wright got Pitt started early with his second leadoff hit of the series. An errant pickoff throw moved him to second and he was ultimately brought in on a sacrifice fly from sophomore Nick Yarnall - his fifth RBI of the series. The Panthers plated two more runs in the inning on doubles from juniors Alex Kowalczyk and Aaron Schnurbusch plus an RBI single from redshirt freshman Frank Maldonado.

With the knock, Maldonado extended his hitting streak to 15 games to become the first Panther to do so since Elvin Soto hit in 17 straight from April 30 to May 25, 2013.

The Blue Devils scored following a leadoff double from Andy Perez in the first inning, and knotted the game at three in their half of the second on an error and a pair of singles.

Pitt appeared to miss a critical opportunity in the third inning. Freshman Charles LeBlanc doubled to open the stanza and but the next man was erased on a fielder's choice after the next man struck out, leaving Kowalczyk at first with two down. Schnurbusch then hammered his second double of the day, putting runners at second and third, but Pitt failed to cash in on the chance.

The Panthers regained the advantage in the fourth thanks to back-to-back hits from senior Jordan Frabasilio and junior Ron Sherman. A few batters later, a balk brought Sherman the final 90 feet from third to home.

Berube controlled the next several frames, but once Berube departed following the seventh, the game shifted, and a total of six relievers appeared for Pitt in the subsequent innings.

Junior Garrett Wrambel began the eighth on the mound for Pitt, and was charged with two runs on two hits without recording an out. Senior Nick Parnell and freshman Ryan Campbell retired the next two men with Wrambel's runners on before redshirt freshman Josh Mitchell came on hoping to record the final out of the inning and strand the tying runs. Instead, Duke first baseman Justin Bellinger smacked an RBI double to tie the affair, 6-6.

Isaac Mattson (0-1) then entered for Mitchell to end the eighth. He began the ninth as well, but allowed two hits in the frame to set up the game-winning moment and take his first loss.

For the home team, Sarkis Ohanian (3-0) received the win after he turned in a dominant relief appearance of 4.2 innings, allowing just one hit, and striking out a career-high nine batters to allow Duke a chance to come back.

Duke's hero from Friday delivered again today in the game's final frame. Andy Perez dug in with runners on first and second and one out before flipping his bat at a low pitch, sending it to right center. It would be enough to score shortstop Kenny Koplove from second to take the victory.

The Panthers will pick up on Wednesday, Mar. 25, at Youngstown State for a 3 p.m. tilt.