Duke cools off #Clemson 5-2 (AUDIO)

Clemson rolled into its ACC opener on an 11-game winning streak but the lineup couldn’t break through against Duke’s front line pitching and the Tigers dropped a 5-2 decision in Durham, NC, Friday.

The eighth-ranked Tigers scratched the scoreboard early when Blake Wright’s infield single plated Cam Cannarella in the top half of the first. Duke answered right back, however, on Logan Bravo’s three-run homer in the bottom half of the inning. Bravo went deep again in the third to extend Duke’s lead to 4-1. All four runs were charged to starter Austin Gordon (0-1), who saw his ERA balloon to 7.90.

Wright cut the lead to two with a solo shot in the fourth, his sixth of the season, but the Tigers would get no closer as Clemson failed to score against Duke’s pen. Tigers’ hitters struggled throughout the game, leaving 11 runners stranded and posting just four hits.

Tristan Bissetta rapped out a pair of singles to raise his average to .444, but outside of Bisetta and Wright, Clemson hitters finished 0-for-24 with 14 strikeouts. The Tigers’ bullpen was nearly as effective as Duke’s, giving up just one run in five innings, but the damage had already been done.

No. 3 Duke improves to 15-3 overall and 3-1 in ACC play. Clemson drops to 15-2, 0-1. Game 2 of the series in Durham, NC, is scheduled for 3 p.m., Saturday.

Box Score

Postgame comments from Erik Bakich