DURHAM, N.C. (theACC.com) – No. 7 seed Duke (37-18) scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning, including a bases-loaded walk, in a 4-3 walk-off win over No. 15 seed Pitt (28-27) in the third game of the second round of the 2025 ACC Baseball Championship on Wednesday, May 21, in Durham, North Carolina.
 
The Blue Devils will take on No. 2 seed Florida State (37-13) in the quarterfinals on Friday, May 23, at 3 p.m. ET on ACC Network.
 
Down to their last three outs and trailing 3-2, the Blue Devils opened the bottom of the ninth inning with a long solo home run to left-center field from Macon Winslow to tie the game up at 3-3.
 
Two batters later, a fielding error, followed by a bloop single to right field, put the potential game-winning run in scoring position with one out.
 
After an intentional walk loaded the bases, Duke’s clean-up hitter Jake Hyde worked a bases-loaded walk to force in the game-winning run from third base for the 4-3 walk-off win.
 
Duke, which trailed for the entire game, had four runs on six hits and five walks, led by AJ Gracia (3-for-5, HR, 2B, 2 RBI, run) with three of the six hits, including a home run. Winslow (1-for-4, HR, RBI, run) added a home run and an RBI.
 
Pitt had just four hits in the loss, all of which were singles. Jayden Melendez (1-for-4) and Daden Dulin (1-for-2, BB, HBP, 2 runs) had one hit each, while Lorenzo Carrier (2-for-4, RBI) had two hits. Sebastian Pisacreta (0-for-2, SF, HBP, 2 RBI) drove in two RBIs without a hit.
 
Duke used nine pitchers in the win, with only one pitcher working 2.0 innings or more and only two pitchers throwing 20 pitches or more for the game. The ninth pitcher, James Tallon (1-2) picked up the win, striking out two hitters in a clean ninth.
 
Pitt relief pitcher Patrick Gardner (4-6) was saddled with the loss, despite holding Duke to four runs, three of which were earned, on four hits, three walks and seven strikeouts over 5.1 innings on the mound.
 
Pitt got on the scoreboard in the top of the first inning with a little help from the Blue Devils, as a hit batter, a fielding error, a walk and another hit batter forced in a run to give the Panthers an early 1-0 lead.
 
The Panthers added to the lead two innings later in the top of the third, as a lead-off single, a base on balls and a groundout were followed by a sacrifice fly to center field by Pisacreta to double the Pitt lead at 2-0.
 
The next Pitt hitter hit a single to second base to plate another run and push the lead to 3-0 midway through the third inning.
 
After stranding at least one runner on base in each of the first four innings and six overall, the Blue Devils’ offense broke through in the bottom of the fifth inning on an RBI double off the bat of Garcia to put the score at 3-1 heading into the sixth inning.
 
The Blue Devils cut into the lead again in the bottom half of the seventh inning, as Gracia hit a line drive home run just out of the reach of the leaping Pitt right fielder at the wall to close the gap to one at 3-2 with two innings to play.
 
2025 ACC Baseball Championship Schedule
Tuesday, May 20
Game 1 – No. 16 California 12, No. 9 Miami 2 (8 innings)
Game 2 – No. 12 Virginia Tech 7, No. 13 Stanford 4
Game 3 – No. 15 Pitt 13, No. 10 Louisville 11
Game 4 – No. 14 Boston College 5, No. 11 Notre Dame 4 (10 innings)
 
Wednesday, May 21
Game 5 – No. 16 California 14, No. 8 Wake Forest 12
Game 6 – No. 5 Clemson 6, No. 12 Virginia Tech 1
Game 7 – No. 7 Duke 4, No. 15 Pitt 3
Game 8 – No. 14 Boston College vs. No. 6 Virginia, 9 p.m.
 
Thursday, May 22
Game 9 – No. 16 California vs. No. 1 Georgia Tech, 3 p.m.
Game 10 – No. 5 Clemson vs. No. 4 NC State, 7 p.m. 
 
Friday, May 23
Game 11 – No. 7 Duke vs. No. 2 Florida State, 3 p.m.
Game 12 – Game 8 Winner vs. No. 3 North Carolina, 7 p.m.
 
Saturday, May 24
Game 13 – Game 9 vs. Game 10 Winners, 1 p.m.
Game 14 – Game 11 vs. Game 12 Winners, 5 p.m.
 
Sunday, May 25 - Championship Game
Game 15 – Saturday Winners, Noon, ESPN2
 
All Tuesday through Saturday games air on ACC Network
All times Eastern