Duke used some quality pitching and timely, late-inning hitting to edge Oklahoma State 3-2 Sunday evening and advance to the program’s fourth Super Regional in the last seven NCAA Tournaments.
The game was not without its clinched knuckles. At least on my couch.
Oklahoma State provided some dramatic fireworks in an 11-9 win over home-standing Georgia earlier in the day. The Cowboys went into the bottom of the ninth trailing by four but tied it with a two-run homer and walked it off with another.
Duke only needed to beat Oklahoma State once, while they needed to beat Duke twice. But Duke had all the advantages Sunday over a team that used lots of energy already and needed to leverage those advantages and not come back Monday.
We knew going in that Oklahoma State had the regional’s best pitching, which makes that 11-9 slugfest such a surprise.
But the Duke game reverted to form. Duke started freshman Henry Zatkowski, a lefty from Maryland. Ok State went with Noah Wech, a freshman reliever with an 0-4 mark.
Easy pickings for Duke. On paper.
That’s why they play the games.
Zatkowski was solid, Wech more than solid. Zatkowski gave up a two-run homer to Kollin Ritchie in the top of the fourth and that was the only scoring until late.
Zatkowski left after 4.2 innings and was replaced by Gabe Nard, who threw 2.1 scoreless innings.
Wech left after six scoreless innings.
Duke had their chances but squandered them all, as the screws tightened. Ritchie robbed Tyler Albright of a homer in the fourth. Duke had runners on first and second with one out in the sixth but came up empty. Duke had runners on first and second with no outs in the seventh but put up another zero.
The dam finally broke in the eighth. With one out lefty A.J. Gracia hit a solo shot to the opposite field to cut the Cowboys’ lead in half. A single, a walk and a two-out single by Sam Harris and Duke led 3-2.
Then it got weird. Gracia put on one of those omnipresent helmet/hard-hats after his homer and was still wearing it when he left the dugout to celebrate Harris’ hit.
That’s an ejection. Equipment okay in dugout, not on field.
Kyle Johnson replaced him for the ninth.
Yes, the same Kyle Johnson who pitched so well against Georgia yesterday.
Duke closer Reid Easterly went out for his second inning. Johnson made a nice catch on a liner in center. A groundout made it two outs. Garrett Shull struck out but Duke catcher Macon Winslow couldn’t handle the pitch, Shull reached first but was called out because he didn’t touch that base extension properly.
I’ll take it. Two I-can’t-believe-that’s-a-rule-in just a few minutes.
Duke played without star third baseman Max Miller, who injured a wrist on a hit by pitch against Georgia. No word on his status for the Super Regional.
Duke will play either Ole Miss or Murray State, who--barring a miracle comeback by Murray State-will square off in a winner-take-all match Monday. Should Murray State pull off the upset, Duke should host.
If not, time to break the heart of another SEC team and break down that Omaha door.
It’s time.
The Gracia ejection is frustrating because his actions were minor and now he can’t play in the first game of the Super Regionals. But rules are rules so Duke has to suck it up.
Ben Miller needs to get healthy in a hurry. We cannot afford to have Gracia and Miller out of the lineup simultaneously.
Pollard was interviewed during the Oklahoma State game and said that Ben Miller would be ready by Super Regionals. He said it would be questionable whether he could be ready if Duke needed to play in the Monday regional game, but that the Duke medical staff was working as best they could to get him ready asap. Pollard said that his teammates were trying to rally to beat Ok State to give Miller some more play.
I could not be more furious about Gracia being ejected and suspended for the first super-regional game without a warning. I hope Nina King is vigorously involved in protesting this suspension and asking for him to be re-instated on an expedited appeal. Case for appeal:
"In 2023, NCAA Rule 5-2-d was updated to ban the use of celebratory props on the field of play after a home run, scoring play, or at the end of a half-inning. The penalty for violating this rule is an immediate warning, and subsequent violations can lead to ejection for the player or coach.
More detailed explanation
Penalty:
For a first offense, the umpire will typically issue a warning to the team. However, if a team continues to violate the rule, the offending..."
Any 1 minute review of the incident in question shows that anyone with any modicum of common sense knows that Gracia does not deserve to be suspended from the first game of our Super Regional for barely and briefly stepping out of the dugout with his earned hard-hat in his hand to congratulate his teammate in that situation.
Pollard said the same in his post-game interview, and Pollard said he needed to get his feelings on this off his chest even if it got him fined.
Gracia deserved a warning, and Gracia immediately returned to the dugout when signaled to do so by the umpire and his teammates. Fight hard on this Nina King. This team has battled so hard all season for a chance to finally break through to Omaha. They deserve that chance with their best players on the field.