Historic Season Comes to a Close Monday
DURHAM, N.C. – The 2025 Duke baseball (41-21) season came to a close on Monday evening at Jack Coombs Field, as the Blue Devils fell to Murray State (44-15), 5-4. The 40-plus-win season was the second consecutive in program history and third under head coach Chris Pollard.
Murray State opened the scoring in the top of the first inning, plating a pair of runs off freshman Henry Zatkowski, before the southpaw settled in and gave Duke length. The Blue Devils responded immediately, as Jake Hyde flew out to right field to score Wallace Clark from third, 2-1.
In the bottom of the third inning, Hyde crushed a solo home run to right center field, tying the ballgame, before Jake Berger gave Duke the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning, 3-2. The Racers wouldn’t go away, tying the game on a solo home run of their own in the seventh inning, before plating a pair in the eighth to take a 5-3 lead. Macon Winslow cut the deficit to one in the bottom of the eighth, blasting a solo home run to left field, 5-4.
In the ninth, Clark led off the inning with a hit by pitch, but the Blue Devils were unable to push the tying or winning run across. Zatkowski tossed a career-high seven strikeouts in his outing on the bump, while Reid Easterly was pegged with the loss, falling to 9-3 on the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Murray State opened the scoring in the top of the first inning, 2-0.
Duke responded in the bottom of the first inning, as Jake Hyde flew out to right field to score Wallace Clark, 2-1.
In the bottom of the third inning, Hyde hit a solo home run to right center field, 2-2.
The Blue Devils took the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning, as Jake Berger hit a solo home run to center field, 3-2.
Murray State tied the ballgame in the top of the seventh inning, 3-3.
The Racers took the lead in the top of the eighth inning, 5-3.
Duke cut the lead in half in the bottom of the eighth, as Macon Winslow hit a solo home run to left field, 5-4.