Duke softball completes magical run through ACC tournament with championship win
Duke catcher Kelly Torres wrapped herself in the ACC Tournament bracket banner like a superhero cape and ran around the field.
Torres embodied the pure joy the Blue Devils felt as they celebrated the second conference championship in program history, a win that came after the team scored six unanswered runs over three innings to defeat Florida State, 6-3, on Saturday afternoon.
“The mentality stays the same no matter who we’re playing, no matter where we are. We’re the dogs. We are that team,” pitcher Cassidy Curd said. “I think that we play with that confidence, so when something happens we know that the next person is going to come up and pick them up.”
That mentality proved more than true in the title game — a rematch of 2023’s final, won by Florida State.
Right-handed pitcher Jala Wright earned the start in the circle and held the Seminoles (43-14, 19-5 ACC) scoreless through three frames, but her luck ran out in the fourth. Florida State scored three, including a two-run homer to left center field, to take the lead.
The Blue Devils (47-6, 20-4 ACC) replaced Wright with Curd, a lefty. The sophomore recorded three quick outs to end FSU’s fourth-inning rally.
Then, it was Duke’s turn.
The Blue Devils scored twice in the bottom of the fourth and four times in the sixth.
Five different players scored, with ACC Player of the Year and Duke right fielder Claire Davidson reaching home twice after drawing a pair of walks.
Third baseman Ana Gold and first baseman Gisele Tapia drove in two runs each. Duke played back-to-back 10-inning games to earn a spot in the final, but it didn’t seem affected at all.
“This team is relentless. They are never down and out. They continue to believe they continue to fight with their backs against the wall,” Duke head coach Marissa Young said. “We just knew it was a matter of time. Up and down the lineup, people keep showing up and doing their job.”
While the offense found success, Curd and the defense held the Seminoles scoreless through the final three frames. Sophomore D’Auna Jennings contributed a leaping grab at the wall in the fifth inning, robbing Florida State of a home run, to retire the side.
Wright praised the team for stepping up, especially Curd. The sophomore finished with three strikeouts, two walks and didn’t allow a hit.
“It’s never a matter of ‘if.’ It’s always a matter of ‘when,’” Wright said. “I knew my teammates were gonna have my back no matter what. We play as a team. We’re ‘free swaggy dogs.’ If I wasn’t gonna get it done, I knew somebody behind me was gonna do it. Cassidy Curd, she did the ... thing.”
Florida State’s pitching struggled throughout the regular season, ranking in the bottom half of the ACC in ERA (3.68), walks allowed (150) and opponent batting average (26.3%).
The Seminoles showed improvement in their two previous tournament contests, entering the game with an 0.58 ERA, 10 hits, two runs allowed and four walks. Allison Royalty started in the circle for Florida State before she was replaced by Ashtyn Danley in the fourth.
Duke, however, showed why it was both the No. 1 seed and No. 5 team in the country. It capitalized on mistakes, scoring three unearned runs, while drawing four walks and striking out just twice. It didn’t seem to matter which pitcher the batters faced.
This was the fourth meeting of the season between the two programs. Duke won the regular season series, 2-1, in Tallahassee.
Young said it’s not easy to play FSU. The Seminoles won a national championship in 2018, and advanced to the national championship series in 2021 and 2023. It takes a lot of resilience to beat a storied program like that, but the Blue Devils pulled it off — and they did it at home in front of family, friends and longtime fans.
“I told this team, they’re special and their story was already written,” Young said. “We just had to go out and enjoy the opportunity to compete today and things would take care of itself.”
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