No. 14 Duke Snaps Liberty’s 15-Game Winning Streak, 7-2

No. 14 Duke scored seven unanswered runs, earning a 7-2 win over the visiting Liberty Lady Flames, Tuesday at Duke Softball Stadium.

The Blue Devils (25-5) extend their winning streak to five games, with wins over James Madison and Liberty and a three-game ACC sweep of North Carolina. The Lady Flames (16-10) saw the third-longest active winning streak in NCAA Division I softball come to a close at 15 games.

Scoring Summary

Liberty – 3rd INNING – Hudson strikes out, out at first, Howard advances to third, Madrey scores, 1-0

Liberty – 3rd INNING – Roupe steals second, out at third, Howard scores on error, 2-0

Duke – 3rd INNING – Torres grounds out, Jackson advances, Jennings scores, 2-1

Duke – 3rd INNING – Jackson scores on wild pitch, 2-2

Duke – 3rd INNING – Vega homers, 3-2

Duke – 5th INNING – Baker singles, Davidson and Vega advance, Torres scores, 4-2

Duke – 5th INNING – Zampa hit by pitch, Baker and Davidson advance, Vega scores, 5-2

Duke – 6th INNING – Torres flies out, Gold and Tapia advance, Jennings scores on error, 6-2

Duke – 6th INNING – Boyet flies out to center, sacrifice fly, Gold advances, Tapia scores, 7-2

Notable Numbers

- Duke outhit Liberty 11-4, with the Lady Flames committing three errors and the Blue Devils making one error. The hosts left 10 runners on base, while the guests stranded five.

- Duke sent four pitchers to the circle today. The first reliever, Jala Wright (6-2), earned the win, allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits, walking one and striking out four in two innings. Starter Sophie Garner-MacKinnon and reliever Cassidy Curd both tossed two one-hit innings of scoreless softball and Lillie Walker pitched a 1-2-3 seventh.

- Paige Bachman (5-4) drew the loss, allowing three runs on six hits, striking out one in 2 2/3 innings pitched. Karlie Keeney yielded four runs (three earned) on five hits, walking three and fanning one in 3 1/3 innings.

- D’Auna Jennings and Gisele Tapia both went 3-for-4 for Duke, with Jennings scoring twice and Tapia scoring once. Claire Davidson batted 2-for-3 with a double, while Amina Vega homered and scored two runs.

- Four different Lady Flames had a hit, with Caroline Hudson and Rachel Craine both doubling.

Turning Point

- Liberty manufactured two runs in the top of the third to take the lead, with KK Madrey scoring from third on a dropped third strike. Later in the inning, a first-and-third steal play led to Liberty’s second run.

- However, Duke responded with three runs in the home half of the third, capped by Vega’s solo homer for a 3-2 lead. The Blue Devils added two runs each in the fourth and fifth while holding Liberty scoreless the rest of the way.

Beyond the Box Score

- Duke leads the all-time series 4-2 against the Lady Flames, winning both meetings this year. The Blue Devils edged the Lady Flames 8-5 in eight innings on Feb. 10 in Irvine, Calif.

- Liberty’s 15-game winning streak was its longest since winning 17 in a row, April 3 through May 7, 2021 and was the team’s third-longest winning streak in program history. Its last setback before today was Feb. 19 against Cal State Fullerton in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

- Duke Softball Stadium was the site of Liberty’s most recent NCAA Regional appearance, as the Lady Flames went 1-2 at the 2022 Durham Regional.

- Prior to giving up a run in the fifth, Keeney had not allowed an earned run in 27 1/3 innings pitched, a streak which started on March 7 against Virginia.

- Liberty is winless in seven games against Top 25 opponents this season.

Up Next

The Lady Flames remain in the Tar Heel State and will play at North Carolina tomorrow at 6 p.m.

Featured in photo: Caroline Hudson