Duke’s season ends with 1-run loss

DURHAM – The door remains standing in Duke’s way of reaching Omaha.

Murray State beat the Blue Devils 5-4 on Monday night at Jack Coombs Field, winning the best-of-3 super regional series in the decisive third game.

Murray State (44-15) advances to the Men’s College World Series for the first time in program history, while Duke (41-21) has lost seven straight games while being one win away from Omaha.

“That’s the part I’m having a hard time with right now,” coach Chris Pollard said of reaching this part of the NCAA tournament without being able to win the last game needed to reach Omaha. “We’ve won so many ballgames over the years … big ballgames. ACC championships, regional championships.

“It’s hard for me to reconcile why we haven’t been able to do it in this particular type of game.”

The Blue Devils still haven’t been to Omaha since 1961.

That looked like it’d be the destination until Murray State tied the game on Jonathan Hogart’s one-out home run against Reid Easterly in the top of the seventh. That was only the Racers’ second hit since a five-hit first inning.

Luke Mistone led off the eighth with a line drive homer to left field — the last batter Easterly faced.

What wound up being the game-deciding run scored two batters later. James Tallon plunked the first batter he faced, and then Will Vierling laced a ball into right field that was misjudged by Kyle Johnson and went over his head.

Duke catcher Macon Winslow hit a two-out homer in the bottom of that inning to get the Blue Devils to within one.

In the ninth, Wallace Clark was hit by a pitch to start things. AJ Gracia flew out, Ben Miller grounded into a fielder’s choice — initially ruled runner’s interference and the game-ending play, but overturned on replay review — and Jake Hyde rolled over on a groundout to first base to end the game.

The runner stranded at first base to end the game was the ninth for the Blue Devils.

It brought to a screeching halt a weekend that felt like a culmination for Duke’s program. These were the first NCAA tournament games hosted on campus, played at a dressed-up Jack Coombs Field that’s bound to improve more over the next few years with more renovations planned.

“I don’t think anybody in 2012 would have thought we’d be hosting a super regional,” Pollard said. “The steps that we’ve taken with our facility, the steps that we’ve taken with our competitiveness. …

“I’ll reflect on all that at some point but I can’t right now.”

Duke started the game in a two-run hole, battled back to take a 3-2 lead by the fourth, and lost that lead in the late innings.

Murray State scored two runs in the first inning and it looked like it’d be a lot worse for Duke.

Hogart led off the game with a home run on the third pitch. After a strikeout, the next four Racers had hits, with a laser from Johnson — in right field, with Tyler Albright flipping to left — holding a runner at third base.

That was a big throw when he made and looked bigger in the innings that followed, as Henry Zatkowski settled into a groove. Duke’s freshman lefty retired the next two batters to strand the bases loaded; that was the start of him retiring 11 of the last 13 batters he faced.

The Blue Devils got one run back on a sacrifice fly in the first inning. Solo home runs by the Jakes — Hyde in the third, Berger in the fourth — gave the Blue Devils a 3-2 lead.