DURHAM – Peyton St. George pitched a gem and Kristian Foreman drove in two run as the 12th-seeded Duke softball team opened the NCAA Tournament Durham Regional with a 4-0 victory over UMBC on Friday afternoon at the Duke Softball Stadium.
Foreman launched her 15th home run this season in the second inning and St. George's complete-game one-hitter allowed the Blue Devils (42-8) to win their regional opener for the second straight year. Duke now faces Liberty, which beat Georgia in Friday's first game 2-0, Saturday at 1 p.m. in the winner's bracket of the double-elimination regional.
"Obviously a great day being able to host a regional for the first time in program history," said head coach Marissa Young. "It was a tough ball game and a battle to the end. I think we could've made some adjustments a little sooner, but we scratched and clawed and found a way to get it done. I thought Peyton was outstanding for us in the circle and the defense made some really good plays behind her."
A crowd of 737 witnessed Duke host an NCAA Regional in Durham for the first time in the five-year history of the program. The Blue Devils are a national seed for the second straight year, but played last year's regional in Athens, Ga., reaching the title game vs. the host Bulldogs.
Foreman finished the game 2-for-3 and drove in half of the Blue Devils' runs, which included her solo blast in the second and an RBI single in the three-run sixth. It was the 13th multi-hit game and 15th multi-RBI game for the senior All-ACC pick from Tampa, Fla.
"I was looking for a good pitch," said Foreman. "We knew she was throwing up, and our goal was to get on top of the ball, kind of got dug into a count that I didn't want to be in, but I stuck to the plan, saw the ball, and was aiming to the top of the ball."
St. George was lights out in posting her fourth shutout, her 13th complete-game bid, second complete-game one-hitter and 21st win (21-3). The graduate student from Mechanicsville, Va., fanned eight and faced just one batter over the minimum, which came on a leadoff single from UMBC's Karly Keating in the fourth inning.
Jameson Kavel triggered Duke's sixth-inning rally with a single, and later scored when Rachel Crabtree found the gap in right with a one-out RBI double. Foreman followed with her RBI knock, and the Blue Devils capped the rally thanks to Deja Davis' run-scoring double.
Courtney Coppersmith went the distance in the circle for UMBC but was on the hook for loss (11-4). She kept Duke's offense at bay until the sixth, fanning six and allowing five hits and four runs. The Retrievers (31-11) face Georgia Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in the first elimination game of the Durham Regional.
Tickets are available for Saturday action and can be purchased at GoDuke.com.
To stay up to date with Blue Devils softball, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeSOFTBALL".
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May 21, 2022 at 05:58AM
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Duke Blanks UMBC, 4-0, in NCAA Opener Behind St. George, Foreman - Duke University - GoDuke.com
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