Duke Gets Down Early, Falls to Liberty

KNOXVILLE, TN – Second-seed Duke (32-20), which recently won the 2021 ACC Baseball Championship, dropped their first NCAA Championship contest against third-seed Liberty (39-14) by a final score of 11-6 at the Knoxville Regional at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. 

The Liberty Flames started off the game hot with back-to-back doubles from Gray Betts and Aaron Anderson, giving them a 2-0 lead. 

Graduate student Peter Matt had himself a day at that plate, going 4-for-5, with two home runs and a double. He started off the second inning with a solo shot over center field to put a run on the board for the Blue Devils (2-1). 

Liberty responded in the third, delivering a three-run inning. Betts led the inning off with another double. Will Wagner then reached on a fielder’s choice and Trey McDyre walked. Then, Brady Gulakowski sent a three-run homer over the left-field fence, giving them a 5-1 lead. 

The hits didn’t stop there for the Flames, delivering a six-run inning in the fourth (11-1). 

Duke was able to bring around another run in the sixth inning. Junior left fielder RJ Schreck started it off with a single through the right side. Matt then doubled to left field, advancing Schreck to third. Senior catcher Michael Rothenberg scored Schreck with a groundout to shortstop (11-2). 

The Blue Devils scored two more in the eighth inning. Schreck and Senior first baseman Chris Crabtree both got on base with a hit by pitch. Sophomore second baseman Graham Pauley singled to left field, advancing Crabtree to second and scoring Schreck. Graduate student Erickson Nichols then singled to center field, scoring Crabtree (11-4). 

Duke pieced some more hits together to score a couple more in the ninth inning, but it just wasn’t enough. Senior center fielder Joey Loperfido led off the inning with a single to right-center. Matt stayed hot at the plate, sending a two-run shot over the right-field fence for the final score of 11-6. 

Junior Jack Carey started on the mound for the Blue Devils but struggled to contain the Liberty offense. Carey allowed eight runs on seven hits, striking out three, walking two, and giving up two home runs in 3.1 innings. Left-handed senior Matt Dockman entered in the fourth as a relief, giving up three runs on four hits, with one home run, in just half an inning pitched. 

The Duke bullpen used up a total of five pitchers, including right-hander Richard Brereton and left-handers Josh Allen and Aaron Beasley.   

Liberty only used up two of their pitchers, with starter Trevor Delaite throwing 118 pitches in 7.2 innings to earn the victory. 

Duke falls into the loser’s bracket, playing the loser of game two on Saturday, June 5 at 12 p.m. at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.