Duke comes up big, stuns Georgia twice to win regional
The Sports Report of Central Georgia
centralgasports@gmail.com
Duke must like Athens and Foley Field.
The Blue Devils finished a fairly epic weekend by beating Georgia twice on Monday, 8-5 and 8-4, to take the Athens Regional and advance to the Super Regional at Texas Tech.
The loss spoiled a homecoming of sorts for Texas Tech’s Gabe Holt, a freshman from Veterans. Had Georgia won, Houston County baseball programs would’ve had two players in the Super Regional, Holt and Houston County’s Tony Locey of Georgia.
Locey did his part in a relief stint in the final game, but the the Bulldogs were in a hole by the time he took over. Georgia went from a 2-0 lead after two to a 5-2 deficit a half inning later.
The Blue Devils were able to keep the Bulldogs at bay, thanks to starter Mitch Stallings, who went seven full innings and threw 114 pitches. And to Griffin Conine, who had two homers.
Locey went 2.2 shutout innings, with four strikeouts and two walks. The Devils did the damage to starter C.J. Smith, who was 1-1 with a 1.32 ERA in 34 innings. He hadn’t pitched in the regional, and had 13 appearances.
Georgia got within 5-3 with one in the fourth, and the teams exchanged runs in the seventh. Duke all but sealed it with a Jimmy Herron homer to lead off the ninth, adding another run for a four-run lead.
Pitcher Jack Labosky, who threw three innings in the first game, finished the Bulldogs off in the nightcap, the game ending in a weird way.
Pinch hitter Patrick Sullivan grounded to short, but the throw sailed high. Sullivan crossed the base, made a slight turn to his left, then spun around to his right and dove back to first.
Apparently, Sullivan made enough of a move to be considered going to second. The ball bounced right back to first baseman Joey Loperfido, who made the tag to end the game.
Georgia, which had never lost a regional at home, finished the season 39-21. Duke advances with 44-16 mark.
In the first game Monday, Georgia led 5-3 after four, but was skunked the rest of the way as Duke tied it after single runs in the fifth and sixth, and then scored three in the seventh.
Georgia stranded a runner in the sixth, hit into an inning-ending double play in the seventh, and was retired in order in the eighth and ninth innings.
Duke’s was an improbable win.
The Devils were thumped 6-0 by Troy in the first game of the regional and trailed Campbell 8-1 through six innings of an elimination game, had a pair of two-run innings to get close, and then exploded for 11 in the ninth for a 16-8 win.
Since that 8-1 deficit, Duke outscored opponents 47-15.
Duke ended Troy’s season with a 15-6 win Sunday, and then beat Georgia twice on Monday. The Blue Devils belted two homers in the first game and four in the second, while the Bulldogs managed one all day.