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Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Murray State baseball eliminates Duke Blue Devils to reach College World Series
Omaha remains just out of reach for Duke baseball. A late-game collapse spelled disaster for the Blue Devils in a 5-4 loss to Murray State in Monday's winner-take-all game of the NCAA Durham Super Regional. The Racers spoiled Duke's College World Series hopes on Jack Coombs Field, clinching a spot in Omaha for the first time. Murray State coach Dan Skirka gets a Powerade bath after Murray State's 5-4 victory over Duke in the third game of the Durham Super Regional at Jack Coombs Field in Durham, N.C., Monday, June 9, 2025. Duke carried a 3-2 lead into the seventh inning, but the Racers tied the game when Jonathan Hogart belted his second home run of the game in the top of the seventh. Murray State then took the lead for good with two more runs in the top of the eighth inning and held on, preventing Duke (41-21) from making its first College World Series appearance since 1961. Advertisement '[That's] one of the best offenses that we've run up against all season,' Duke's head coach Chris Pollard said. 'The kids were tough. They didn't break down to the moment.' Duke players watch as Murray State celebrates their 5-4 victory over Duke in the third game of the Durham Super Regional at Jack Coombs Field in Durham, N.C., Monday, June 9, 2025. The teams combined for six home runs, and it was Luke Mistone's tie-breaking homer in the top of the eighth that pushed the Racers over the edge. Murray State (44-15) is the fourth No. 4 seed to ever advance to the MCWS, and the first Missouri Valley Conference team to reach Omaha since 2003. 'Hopefully, it motivates everybody,' Murray State head coach Dan Skirka said. 'This team could do it with 28 newcomers and three new coaches. [They] came together and hit their stride at the right time.' Murray State players including pitcher Graham Kelham (41), left, celebrate the last out in Murray State's 5-4 victory over Duke in the third game of the Durham Super Regional at Jack Coombs Field in Durham, N.C., Monday, June 9, 2025. Duke's final home run in the bottom of the eighth wasn't enough to save the Blue Devils' season, and their 64-year Omaha drought continues. Advertisement In similar fashion to Sunday's game, Hogart cranked a leadoff home run over the left field wall. Carson Garner followed it up with a double, and Dom Decker to batted him in with a single up the middle. The Racers loaded the bases, stringing together five hits. Freshman starting pitcher Henry Zatkowski escaped the inning with the Blue Devils trailing 2-0. 'Yesterday, he ambushed a first-pitch fastball, and so today, we were going to go heavy breaking ball,' Pollard said. 'That's Henry Zatkowski's best swing-and-miss pitch. His slider to a right-handed hitter is the best swing-and-miss he has. He'd thrown it twice and gotten bad swings — a bad take and a bad swing — and then, all of a sudden, you get an on-time swing and he hits it 400 feet.' Zatkowski recovered, collecting a career-high seven strikeouts in four innings. Duke punched back in the bottom of the first. First baseman Jake Hyde hit a sacrifice fly to right field to plate shortstop Wallace Clark, who drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a single from AJ Gracia. Murray State's Dom Decker (12) forces out Duke's Wallace Clark (7) in the ninth inning during Murray State's 5-4 victory over Duke in the third game of the Durham Super Regional at Jack Coombs Field in Durham, N.C., Monday, June 9, 2025. Hyde followed with a home run to center field in the third to knot the game at 2-2. Then, second baseman Jake Berger — who entered Monday going 0-5 with two walks in the super regional series — led off the fourth inning with a home run soaring just three feet over the center field wall to give Duke its first lead of the night, 3-2. Advertisement After five scoreless innings that saw only one hit from the Racers, Hogart tied it back up with another home run in the top of the seventh, nailing a ball 413 feet over the left field fence. Mistone rocketed another long ball to the same spot, retaking the lead for Murray State in the top of the eighth. Then, Dan Tauken's RBI triple pushed the Racers' lead to 5-3. 'They're just so good at bat-to-ball,' Pollard said. 'They're really, really good at two strikes. They center the ball really well. It's probably a combination of having some guys that have all had skill set, and they happened to be in the same lineup together.' Murray State's Jonathan Hogart (15) celebrates hitting a home run during Duke's game against Murray State in the third game of the Durham Super Regional at Jack Coombs Field in Durham, N.C., Monday, June 9, 2025. In the bottom of the inning, Duke sophomore catcher Macon Winslow sent the sixth home run of the night to left field with two outs to pull the Blue Devils within one. Advertisement Duke had life in the bottom of the ninth when Clark was hit by an inside breaking ball with nobody out. After a Gracia foul out, the Blue Devils' season nearly ended on a rare runner's interference call for an illegal slide into second on what could have been a double play off the bat of Ben Miller. The Racers even stormed the field in celebration. Duke's Jake Hyde (16) celebrates with Tyler Albright (40) and Ben Rounds (8) after hitting a home run in the third inning during Duke's game against Murray State in the third game of the Durham Super Regional at Jack Coombs Field in Durham, N.C., Monday, June 9, 2025. But, officials overturned the call. Clark was still out at second. Miller was safe at first. Duke pinch ran for Miller, but the Racers reset and Graham Kelham got Hyde to ground out to first base to end the game, the fourth time in the past seven NCAA tournaments the Blue Devils' season ended in a super regional. Advertisement 'We've won so many ball games over the years,' Pollard said. 'We won so many big ball games: ACC Championships, Regional Championships [and] ball games that we had to win in the regular season to go to the NCAA Tournament — must-win kind of ball games. It's hard for me to reconcile why we haven't been able to do it in this particular kind of game.' Murray State's Will Vierling (17) runs home on a triple by Dan Tauken in the eighth inning during Murray State's 5-4 victory over Duke in the third game of the Durham Super Regional at Jack Coombs Field in Durham, N.C., Monday, June 9, 2025. Duke's Kyle Johnson (5) crashes into the wall as he chases a fly ball during Duke's game against Murray State in the third game of the Durham Super Regional at Jack Coombs Field in Durham, N.C., Monday, June 9, 2025. Duke's Henry Zatkowski (12) celebrates after striking out a player to end the inning during Duke's game against Murray State in the third game of the Durham Super Regional at Jack Coombs Field in Durham, N.C., Monday, June 9, 2025. Duke's Kyle Johnson (5) is hit by a pitch during Duke's game against Murray State in the third game of the Durham Super Regional at Jack Coombs Field in Durham, N.C., Monday, June 9, 2025. The Duke bench celebrates with Jake Hyde (16) after he hit a home run during Duke's game against Murray State in the third game of the Durham Super Regional at Jack Coombs Field in Durham, N.C., Monday, June 9, 2025.
USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Duke-Murray State baseball live score: Updates, highlights, how to watch super regional
Duke-Murray State baseball live score: Updates, highlights, how to watch super regional Show Caption Hide Caption Louisville baseball coach, players on super regional win vs. Miami Louisville baseball beat Miami 8-1 in the NCAA Super Regional Friday. The Cardinals are one win away from going to the College World Series in Omaha. The final ticket to Omaha will be punched on Monday. After splitting their first two meetings, Duke and Murray State baseball will face off in the third game of the Durham Super Regional on June 9 at Jack Coombs Field in Durham, North Carolina, with the winner becoming the eighth and final team to make it into the 2025 College World Series field. The Racers have been one of the biggest surprises of the 2025 NCAA tournament, a No. 4 seed that won the Oxford Regional, knocking out No. 10 Ole Miss in the process, and fighting off elimination Sunday against Duke with a 19-run effort. REQUIRED READING: Where is Murray State? What to know of Racers baseball in NCAA super regionals While Murray State has never been to the CWS, it's been a long wait for Duke, which hasn't qualified for the event since 1961. The Blue Devils are 41-20, marking the first time they've won at least 40 games in back-to-back seasons in program history. Follow along here for the live score, updates, highlights, information on how to watch and more from Duke and Murray State baseball's super regional finale in the 2025 NCAA tournament: Duke vs Murray State baseball super regional live score Teams 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 F Murray St 2 — — — — — — — — — Duke — — — — — — — — — — REQUIRED READING: Who's in College World Series? Updated bracket, schedule for NCAA baseball tournament Duke vs Murray State baseball live updates Murray State came out swinging, as five of its first six batters have reached base with hits against Henry Zatkowski. The Racers have the bases loaded with one out here in the top of the first inning, and Duke has started to get its bullpen warm. Carson Garner nearly goes deep, launching a double off the right-field wall with one out. Dom Decker then plates Garner in the next at-bat, as his single to center field makes it 2-0 Murray State in the top of the first inning. Great start for the Racers. It didn't take long for Murray State to take a 1-0 lead, as Jonathan Hogart launches a leadoff home run to left field. Hogart is up to 21 home runs on the season and gives the Racers an early edge. Freshman left-hander Henry Zatkowski is getting the start for Duke against Murray State's Kane Elmy. Zatkowski has a 4.85 ERA this season in 55 2/3 innings and allowed two earned runs with four strikeouts across 4 2/3 innings in his last outing against Oklahoma State in the Athens Regional. Elmy, a right-handed senior, has a 4.33 ERA in 54 innings this season. He faced Ole Miss in the Oxford Regional and allowed four runs in 2 1/3 innings. CF Jonathan Hogart RF Dustin Mercer 3B Carson Garner 2B Dom Decker 1B Luke Mistone C Will Vierling LF Dan Tauken DH Nico Bermeo SS Conner Cunningham SS Wallace Clark CF AJ Gracia 3B Ben Miller 1B Jake Hyde DH Ben Rounds LF Tyler Albright C Macon Winslow 2B Jake Berger RF Kyle Johnson What time does Duke vs Murray State baseball start? Date: June 9 June 9 Time: 7 p.m. ET 7 p.m. ET Where: Jack Coombs Field (Durham, North Carolina) Duke and Murray State are scheduled for a 7 p.m. ET first pitch at Jack Coombs Field in Durham, North Carolina for the third game of the Durham Super Regional. What TV channel is Duke vs Murray State baseball on today? TV channel: ESPN ESPN Streaming options: ESPN app | ESPN+ Game 3 of the Durham Super Regional between Duke and Murray State on June 9 will air on ESPN. Clay Matvick (play-by-play) and former MLB all-star Gregg Olson (analyst) will be on the call. Streaming options for the game include the ESPN app, which requires a valid cable login) and ESPN+, ESPN's subscription streaming service. Watch Duke vs Murray State baseball live with ESPN+ UCLA vs UTSA baseball predictions, picks, odds Odds from BetMGM Spread: Duke, -2.5 Duke, -2.5 Over/under: 16.5 runs 16.5 runs Moneyline: Duke, -250 | UTSA, +190 Prediction: Duke 8, Murray State 2 The deeper an NCAA tournament series goes, the more it often favors the deeper and more talented team. That should be Duke, despite a spirited push from Murray State, including a 19-run effort on June 8. NCAA baseball schedule The 2025 NCAA baseball tournament began on May 30 with the regional round of play. The tournament's now in the super regional round, which began June 6 and will run no later than June 9. The super regionals are eight different best-of-three series, with the winners advancing to the College World Series, which will begin on June 13. The double-elimination tournament will run through June 22 or 23, depending on whether the best-of-three championship series goes two or three games. Here is more detailed look at the latest college baseball schedule and NCAA Tournament bracket update.
