Duke softball earned a spot in the Durham Regional championship with a 11-1 win over Marshall on Saturday, May 16 from Smith Family Stadium.
D’Auna Jennings’ four RBIs led Duke past the Thundering Herd with a two-out grand slam in the second inning to get the Blue Devils on the board. Gabriella Shadek went 3-for-3, adding a three run blast in the fourth frame. Larissa Jacquez got the win from the circle for the Blue Devils.
Duke finished the night with 14 hits and Marshall just four.
The 12-seeded Blue Devils (41-16) bounced back from a 10-1 loss to Arizona earlier in the day to earn a rematch against the Wildcats in the regional championship on Sunday, May 17. Duke will need to win two against Arizona to earn a bid to super regionals, with the first game slated to get started at noon and an if necessary Game 2 schedule for 2:30 p.m.
The winner of the Durham Regional advances to play the winner of the Fayetteville Regional. That regional is led by No. 5 overall seed Arkansas, with the field also including Fordham, Washington and South Florida.
The Fayetteville Observer brought you live updates from Duke softball vs. Marshall. Check it out.
Duke softball vs Marshall live score updates
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Final: Duke 11, Marshall 1 (5 innings)
Marshall added its lone run in the fifth inning behind a Paige Simpson double and left the bases loaded but it’s Duke that earns the 11-1 bounce back win after its run-rule loss to Arizona earlier in the day. Duke now advances to Sunday’s regional championship where it will again face Arizona as it looks to punch a ticket to super regionals.
Tyrina Jones triple scores Aminah Vega, Marshall down to last three outs
Aminah Vega reached base after being walked and was brought home two batters later by a Tyrina Jones triple. Duke now holds the 11-0 lead going into the bottom of the fifth frame, with Marshall needing to score four runs if it wants to avoid being run-ruled.
Nothing doing for Marshall in the bottom of the fourth
Ava Bradshaw took Marshall’s lineup down by way of a fly out, strike out and ground out. Duke leads 10-0 heading into the fifth inning, needing one more inning to secure the run-rule win.
Duke adds on three more runs, nearing run-rule territory
After a three run fourth inning, behind a Gabriella Shadek three run blast, Duke leads 10-0 heading into the bottom of the fourth.
Duke tacks on run in top of third
A Jessica Oakland strike out ended the frame for Duke but not before the Blue Devils added on a run with a bases loaded walk. It’s 7-0 Duke midway through the third.
Duke leads after two
Diamond Leslie singled to start the inning off for Marshall but the rest of the Thundering Herd lineup went down in order. Duke leads 6-0 after two.
D’Auna Jennings grand slam gets Duke on the board
D’Auna Jennings hit a two out grand slam to put Duke ahead 4-0. Jessica Oakland then added a two-run blast to make it a 6-0 game midway through the second.
Marshall goes down in order
Jacquez took down Marshall in order by ways of a fly out and two ground outs. It’s scoreless heading into the second frame.
Duke leaves one stranded in top of the first
Jessica Oakland reached base on a single but was the lone Blue Devil to do so after a Tyrina Jones ground out ended the top half of the inning. Larissa Jacquez will now face the top of Marshall’s batting order.
Duke softball vs Marshall starters
When do Duke softball and Marshall play today?
- Date: Saturday, May 16
- Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
- TV/Streaming: ESPN+
Duke will face Marshall in a win-or-go-home contest at 6:40 p.m. on Saturday night from Smith Family Stadium. The winner advances to the regional championship on Sunday at noon against Arizona.
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NCAA Tournament Durham Regional schedule, bracket
Friday, May 15
- Game 1: Duke 10, Howard 1 (5 innings)
- Game 2: Arizona 7, Marshall 5
Saturday, May 16
- Game 3: Arizona 10, Duke 1 (5 innings)
- Game 4: Marshall 4, Howard 2
- Game 5: Marshall vs. Duke, 6 p.m. ET
Sunday, May 17
- Game 6: Arizona vs. Game 5 Winner, noon ET
- Game 7: Game 6 Winner vs. Game 6 Loser, 2:30 p.m. ET (if necessary)
Anna Snyder covers Duke for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at [email protected] or follow her @annaesnydr on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Duke softball bounces back to run-rule Marshall in NCAA regional | Scores, highlights
