
#11 Duke jumped on Virginia starter Cullen McKay, got out to an 8-1 lead in the middle innings, and coasted to a 9-4 win over the eighth-ranked ‘Hoos in the teams’ series opener in front of a whopping 761 fans at tiny Jack Coombs Field on Thursday in Durham.
McKay (2-1, 6.46 ERA) gave up six runs, all earned, on five hits, five walks and two hit batters, striking out seven.
It took him 94 pitches to get 10 outs.
Not a good ratio there.
The UVA lineup, meanwhile, was unusually quiet – just five hits, with Jonathan Santucci (5-0, 2.92 ERA) giving up a run on two hits and four walks, striking out six on 101 pitches.
Game 2 of the weekend series is set for a 6 p.m. Friday first pitch. It will pit Duke righty Ryan Higgins (0-0, 3.24 ERA), probably the first guy on a staff day for the Blue Devils, against UVA lefty Evan Blanco (2-1, 3.77 ERA).