Duke uses home runs to beat Morgan State, tie team win record, in NCAA Regional opener

On the first day of NCAA Regionals, Duke reminded the softball world why it’s one of the best softball teams in the country — and it wasn’t due to perfection.

The Blue Devils entered the postseason with shakiness but its composure and a when, not if mentality, fueled by three home runs, led to a 6-1 win against Morgan State.

The victory ties Duke’s all-time program win record and sends the top-seeded Blue Devils (48-6) into Saturday’s 11 a.m. game with South Carolina (35-22). The Gamecocks advanced with a 2-1 win over Utah on Friday.

“Every year we continue to take steps forward, and it really is a testament to the seniors and the upperclassmen who continue to want more for all of us,” Duke head coach Marissa Young said. “We’re not done yet. Being able to compete in the postseason, this is when it matters most. We’ve got to show up and play your best softball.”

Catcher Kelly Torres said on Wednesday that the Blue Devils knew every opponent would give its best. Morgan State (35-19) made that clear from the first inning. The Bears held the host team scoreless through four, while Duke committed several uncharacteristic miscues in the first inning. Fielding issues put runners on in the top half of the frame, while two base running mistakes cost the Blue Devils two outs’ in the bottom of the first.

The Bears continued their success through four, allowing the Blue Devils to rack up six hits without scoring.

“I think they obviously came out really strong defensively,” right fielder Claire Davidson said after the game. “They had a couple of really big throw outs that killed some of our rallies, so we had to work a little bit harder to score those runs.”

Duke’s high-octane offense finally got things going in the fifth inning, using three home runs to take a lead. First baseman Gisele Tapia launched a one-out shot to score the first run of the game. Davidson, a National Player of the Year finalist, followed that up with a two-run shot to the same location. Finally, second baseman Aminah Vega launched her 12th home run of the season over the fence, tying her single-season best.

Tapia said it felt awesome to get the rally started, especially when every play matters a little bit more.

“I usually go up there with a team-oriented mindset,” Tapia said. “Being able to do it for my team was really something special, especially [in the] regional first game; getting all the jitters out.”

Davidson added a two-run double in the sixth to drive in Duke’s final two runs of the day. Her mindset was simple: “See ball, hit ball.” It worked.

Pitcher Jala Wright earned the start in the circle, throwing five innings and notching three strikeouts. Lillie Walker entered the game in relief, her first inning showing similarities to the game itself. Walker gave up three base hits in the sixth before striking out the final two batters.

“Excited to win our first regional game at home,” Young said. “Took us a little bit longer than we wanted to get started, but this team continues to show how resilient they are, and how they’re going to fight till the end.”

Morgan State entered the game with a full bullpen, seven players taking the circle this season. Four have made at least 20 appearances. That remained the case on Friday. The Bears played three pitchers against the No. 10 nationally seeded Blue Devils, all three coming in the fifth.

Emily Raubuch handled the ACC champions with ease through four frames. Though the starter didn’t record a strikeout, she induced 10 flyouts and a groundout in her appearance, something she takes pride in.

“If I move my pitch the way I’m supposed to, I can force popups groundouts, then my defense will have my back,” Raubuch said.

Coach Larry Hineline praised his Morgan State team for its effort against the Blue Devils. The Bears not only held Duke scoreless in the early innings, they ended the shutout and had the tying run at the plate in the sixth.

“We were in the game for a long time,” Hineline said. “We were never out. We didn’t quit. That’s kind of the the way this our season went. We always thought we had a chance, and I was very proud of the way they fought and battled and made the plays that they did.”

Following Saturday’s Duke-South Carolina 11 a.m. game, Morgan State will face Utah at 1:30 p.m. in a regional elimination game.