Duke broke open a tied game with a five-run fifth inning to secure an 8-4 win over No. 6 Clemson on Sunday afternoon at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, clinching the weekend series 2-1. The loss dropped the Tigers to 38-15 overall and 15-12 in ACC play.
Clemson opened the scoring in the second inning with two runs. Jacob Jarrell drove in the first with a groundout, and Luke Gaffney followed with an RBI single. The Tigers maintained that 2-0 lead until the fourth, when Duke responded with two runs of its own. Jake Hyde tied the game with a solo home run, one of his two long balls on the day.
The Blue Devils took control in the top of the fifth. Hyde delivered again with a three-run homer—his second of the game—to break the 2-2 tie. Tyler Albright added a solo shot later in the inning to extend the lead to 7-2. Clemson trimmed the margin with two runs in the bottom of the fifth, but the Tigers were unable to draw closer.
Cam Cannarella extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a single in the fifth, continuing his consistent performance at the plate. Duke added an insurance run in the eighth to reach the final score of 8-4.
Henry Zatkowski (5-1) earned the win for Duke, pitching five innings and allowing two runs on four hits with four strikeouts and two walks. Clemson starter B.J. Bailey (2-4) took the loss after surrendering seven runs on nine hits in 4.1 innings.
With the series loss, Clemson falls slightly in the ACC standings as postseason seeding approaches. The Tigers will close out the regular season with a three-game road series against Pittsburgh, beginning Thursday at 6 p.m., broadcast on ACC Network Extra.
