Duke Tops No. 16 Clemson 5-3

DURHAM, N.C. – Behind 11 singles, one double and three crucial double plays on defense, Duke defeated No. 16 Clemson 5-3 at Jack Coombs Field on Friday night. The Blue Devils, who took a 1-0 lead in the series, improved to 16-14 overall and 5-8 in the ACC. The Tigers fell to 22-8 overall and 7-6 in ACC play.

Clemson took a 2-0 lead in the second inning thanks in large part to Weston Wilson’s run-scoring triple. But the Blue Devils scored two runs in the third inning and single runs in the fourth, fifth and seventh innings. The Blue Devils turned double plays in the third, fourth and sixth innings to stifle Tiger rallies. Seth Beer went 2-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to 26 games, tied for fourth longest in school history.

Duke starter Bailey Clark (3-3) earned the win by tossing 5.0 effective innings. He gave up six hits, three runs and two walks with four strikeouts. Mitch Stallings pitched the ninth inning to record his third save of the year. Tiger starter Clate Schmidt (5-1) suffered his first loss of the season, as he yielded four runs on 10 hits in 6.0 innings pitched.

The series continues Saturday at 1 p.m.

[View the story “Clemson at Duke (April 8, 2016)” on Storify]