DURHAM, N.C. - Dominant pitching from Amelia Wiercioch and Peyton St. George headlined a Saturday afternoon at the ballpark, as the Duke Blue Devils (17-14, 4-5 ACC) shut down the Louisville Cardinals (22-9, 2-4 ACC) 1-0 to close out the series at the Duke Softball Stadium.

The two combined to allow only two hits and strikeout three as the Blue Devils took the final contest of the three-game set, handing Louisville just its third shutout of the season. Wiercioch, who went 5.0 innings in the start, moves to 5-4 on the year, while St. George threw the final 2.0 innings and picked up her first-career save.

Duke started things off with a bang, scoring the game's lone run in the first inning thanks to Jameson Kavel. Kavel blasted a 2-2 pitch to the wall in right center for her team-leading fourth triple of the season. A wild pitch on the next at-bat would allow Kavel to score, giving Duke a 1-0 lead it would not relinquish the rest of the day. 

The Blue Devils threatened several more times throughout the day, including loading the bases with no outs in the bottom of the second before Louisville retired three straight to escape the jam unharmed. Duke would advance a runner to second in both the next two innings, but came up empty handed.

Despite the opening inning where they were able to load the bases with one away, the Cardinals were never able to break through against Wiercioch and St. George. Wiercioch put Louisville down in order in the fourth, giving way to St. George two innings later. From there, St. George retired all six batters faced, including striking out the side to seal the win in the top of the seventh.

A total of three Blue Devils recorded hits on Saturday, led by a career-high two base hits from Kortney Dry. Kavel's leadoff triple and a single up the middle from Raine Wilson in the third rounded out the Duke offense. 

Duke will return to action Wednesday, March 28 to close out its five-game homestand with a doubleheader against USC Upstate. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. ET, with game two following approximately 40 minutes after the conclusion of the first contest.

Series Recap…

Friday, March 23
Louisville def. Duke, 5-3 (Recap, Stats)
Louisville def. Duke, 5-0 (Recap, Stats)

Saturday, March 24
Duke def. Louisville, 1-0 (Recap, Stats)

On Deck…
The Blue Devils are back in action this Wednesday at the Duke Softball Stadium, as they host USC Upstate in a midweek doubleheader. First pitch is set for 3 p.m., with game two starting approximately 40 minutes after the conclusion of the opening contest. Both contests will be live streamed on ACC Network Extra, which fans can access through WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app.

Wednesday, March 28
Duke vs. USC Upstate – 3:00 p.m. & 5:30 p.m. ET
ACC Network Extra – Game 1
ACC Network Extra – Game 2
Durham, N.C.
Duke Softball Stadium

2018 Duke Softball Program Firsts... 

Game: Feb. 8, 2018 vs. FAU (Game 1)

Win (Team): Feb. 8, 2018 vs. FAU (Game 1), 4-3

Win (Individual): Katherine Huey vs. FAU (Game 1), Feb. 8, 2018

At-Bat: Jameson Kavel vs. FAU (Game 1), Feb. 8, 2018

Pitch: Amelia Wiercioch vs. FAU (Game 1), Feb. 8, 2018

Baserunner: Jameson Kavel (Walked, 1st Inning) vs. FAU (Game 1), Feb. 8, 2018

Hit: Amelia Wiercioch (Double, 1st Inning) vs. FAU (Game 1), Feb. 8, 2018

Single: Rachel Abboud (3rd Inning) vs. FAU (Game 1), Feb. 8, 2018

Double: Amelia Wiercioch (1st Inning) vs. FAU (Game 1), Feb. 8, 2018

Walk: Jameson Kavel (1st Inning) vs. FAU (Game 1), Feb. 8, 2018

Hit By Pitch: Ashleigh Rodriguez (7th Inning) vs. FAU (Game 2), Feb. 8, 2018

Run Scored: Raine Wilson (1st Inning, Amelia Wiercioch 2 RBI Double) vs. FAU (Game 1), Feb. 8, 2018

Run Batted In: Amelia Wiercioch (1st Inning) vs. FAU (Game 1), Feb. 8, 2018

Sacrifice Hit: Jazmine Moreno (SAC Bunt, 1st Inning) vs. FAU (Game 1), Feb. 8, 2018

Sacrifice Fly: Rachel Abboud (5th Inning) vs. FAU (Game 2), Feb. 8, 2018

Strikeout: Amelia Wiercioch (Strikeout Looking) vs. FAU (Game 1), Feb. 8, 2018

Stolen Base: Dominique Salinas (2nd Inning) vs. FAU (Game 2), Feb. 8, 2018

Complete Game: Katherine Huey vs. Michigan State, Feb. 9, 2018

Shutout: Katherine Huey vs. Michigan State, Feb. 9, 2018

Complete Game Shutout: Katherine Huey vs. Michigan State, Feb. 9, 2018

Extra Innings Game: Feb. 10, 2018 vs. Boston University (L, 7-4 [8])

Home Run: Katherine Huey (2-Run, 4th Inning) vs. Penn State, Feb. 16, 2018

Save: Amelia Wiercioch vs. Penn State, Feb. 16, 2018

Comeback Win: Feb. 16, 2018 vs. Penn State (Trailed 5-0 in T3, won 7-5)

Triple: Jameson Kavel (6th Inning) vs. Purdue, Feb. 16, 2018

One-Hitter: Amelia Wiercioch vs. Purdue, Feb. 16, 2018

Double Play Turned: 5-3 (Raine Wilson to Rachel Abboud) vs. Purdue, Feb. 17, 2018

Winning Streak: 5 Games (Feb. 16 vs. Penn State - Feb. 23 vs. Morgan State)

National POTW Honor: Katherine Huey (espnW), Feb. 21, 2018

Extra-Innings Win: March 2, 2018 vs. Yale (W, 4-3 [9])

Grand Slam: Amelia Wiercioch (4th Inning) vs. Lehigh, March 3, 2018

Run-Rule Victory: March 4, 2018 vs. Kent State (W, 8-0 [5])

ACC Contest: March 9, 2018 at North Carolina (L, 2-1 [9])

Multi-Home Run Game: Raine Wilson at North Carolina (Game 1), March 10, 2018

Midweek Contest: March 14, 2018 at Charleston (W, 5-1)

ACC Victory: March 16, 2018 vs. Boston Colllege (W, 4-3)

Four-Hit Performance: Rachel Abboud vs. Boston College, March 17, 2018 (4-for-4)

ACC Series Victory: March 16-18, 2018 vs. Boston College

ACC Series Sweep: March 16-18, 2018 vs. Boston College 

#GoDuke