Santucci tosses gem, No. 12 Duke rolls to opening day victory over Indiana

Conway, S.C. — Junior left-handed pitcher Jonathan Santucci worked five innings of scoreless baseball on Opening Day, as No. 12 Duke (1-0) defeated Indiana (0-1) 6-3 at Spring Brooks Stadium. Santucci improved to 1-0 on the young season and punched out seven Hoosiers'.

Freshman Kyle Johnson registered the first hit of the season for the Blue Devils, doubling down the line in left, before scoring pitches later on a Wallace Clark double to the gap in right-center field. Senior Alex Stone, graduate Logan Bravo and sophomore Tyler Albright all tallied solo home runs on Friday in the win.

Graduate right-handed pitcher and current school record holder for appearances, Charlie Beilenson, recorded his first save of the season and his Duke career. He worked 2.2 innings, allowing one hit and tying a career high in strikeouts with five. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

Duke opened the scoring in the top of the fifth inning as Wallace Clark doubled to the gap in right center to score Kyle Johnson, 1-0.

In the top of the sixth, Alex Stone and Logan Bravo hit back-to-back solo home runs to increase the Blue Devils lead to 3-0.

Indiana cut the Duke lead to one with a two-run home run to left field, 3-2.

Stone added to the Duke lead in the top of the seventh, punching a sacrifice fly to right field to score Clark from third, 4-2. Bravo singled down the left field line to score Zac Morris from third, 5-2.

In the bottom of the seventh, Indiana cut the lead back to two, 5-3.

Tyler Albright hit a solo home run to left field to increase the Blue Devils lead, 6-3. 

NOTES

Two Blue Devils made their collegiate debuts as starters against Indiana, as AJ Gracia and Kyle Johnson earned the nod. Johnson finished the day 1-for-4 with a double, the first hit of the season, while Gracia drew three walks on the afternoon.

Junior transfer Wallace Clark collected his first hit in a Duke uniform on Friday, a RBI double to score Johnson from second for the first run of the season.

Duke hit three home runs in the opener of the Baseball at the Beach Tournament, as senior Alex Stone and graduate Logan Bravo hit back-to-back home runs in the top of the sixth inning. Sophomore Tyler Albright also added a solo home run in the top of the seventh.

Junior Jonathan Santucci returned from injury working a scoreless five innings on the mound. He allowed four hits and punched out seven Hoosiers en route to his first win of the season.

Graduate Charlie Beilenson picked up his first save of the season, working the final 2.2 innings, allowing one hit and tying a career high with five strikeouts.

The Blue Devils improved to 3-0 against Indiana all-time with the win on Friday.

Six Duke players made their Blue Devils' debut as Gracia, Johnson, Clark, Bravo, Ben Miller and Zac Morris all started.

QUOTES 

"It was a really good college baseball game against two good teams. For me it felt like one of the best head-to-head matchups on an opening day that I can remember for our Duke club in a really long time. It could have easily have been a two and three seed in a regional somewhere. They have a really nice club that is very dynamic." – Head coach Chris Pollard on facing a talented Indiana squad on Opening Day.

"I thought we played very well. We played a clean game defensively and I thought Santucci's maturity in the first was really big for us. He comes out amped up and has the four-pitch walk and showed great maturity and composure to settle in and give us a great start after that. He gets himself off the field there in the fifth. That was his last batter anyway, so he goes out and gets the double play to get off the field." – On Santucci's return to the field on Opening Day.

UP NEXT

The Blue Devils continue the Baseball at the Beach Tournament against George Mason on Saturday at 11 a.m.