Blue Devils Defeat Florida State 12-1 in Their First ACC Championship Game

CHARLOTTE, NC –  The Duke Blue Devils (29-20, 17-17 ACC) began postseason play on Wednesday at Truist Field, defeating Florida State (29-22, 20-17 ACC) 12-1 with a big first inning at the plate. It is their fourth consecutive season appearing in the ACC Championship and sixth time under head coach Chris Pollard.

The Blue Devils collected 13 hits overall, giving them an eight-run lead (9-1) over the Seminoles through the eighth inning. Senior catcher Michael Rothenberg’s grand slam, triple, four RBIs, two runs scored, and two hit by pitches highlighted his significant impact at the plate today. Graduate student Erickson Nichols brought the Blue Devils to a victory as well, with his home run, two runs scored, and 3 RBIs. Junior shortstop Ethan Murray went 2-for-3 on the day and found himself on base plenty with a homer, two runs scored, an RBI, and three walks. The Crozet, Va. native has one of the highest batting averages (.310).

Sophomore Billy Seidl started on the mound for the Blue Devils. Seidl allowed one run on three hits while striking out a career-high six batters in 3.1 innings to earn the win. Redshirt sophomore Jimmy Loper entered the fifth in relief, allowing no runs, no hits, one walk, and five strikeouts in a career-high four innings of work.

The Blue Devils wasted no time offensively, quickly taking a 5-0 lead after the first inning. Senior center fielder Joey Loperfido led off the inning with a single through the right side. Murray followed that up with a walk, and an RBI single from Junior left fielder RJ Schreck which brought Loperfido home. Graduate student Peter Matt found himself on base with a walk. Rothenberg then hit a 419-foot shot over the right-center field fence with the bases loaded to give the Blue Devils a big lead.

Duke found their way to an eight-run lead (9-1) in the fifth inning. A double to right field from senior first baseman Chris Crabtree and struggles from the Florida State bullpen began a rally for the Blue Devils that plated four runs. Sophomore second baseman Graham Pauley walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch, scoring Crabtree. Nichols singled to right field, scoring Pauley, and Nichols advanced to second on a throwing error by a failed pickoff attempt by the pitcher. A double to center field from Loperfido plated Nichols.

The Blue Devils added three more in the last inning to extend their lead. Pauley began the inning with a single up the middle, followed by back-to-back home runs from Nichols, and Murray secured Duke’s 12-1 victory.

The Florida State bullpen struggled with nine pitchers entering the game. The Seminoles collected four hits on the day and gave up two errors.

The Blue Devils are seeking their first ACC Championship title, and their first-ever championship win over Miami heading into their second game. The ninth-seeded Blue Devils have won their last nine games and hope to continue this winning streak to find their way to an NCAA tournament bid. Game time is set for Thursday at 11 a.m. at Truist Field.