UNCW’s fast start against Duke wins it early for the Seahawks at NCAA tourney

COLUMBIA, SC (AP) — UNC Wilmington starter Ryan Foster pitched an eight-hitter and Brian Mims had five RBIs to lead the Seahawks to an 11-1 victory over Duke, the Blue Devils’ first NCAA Tournament game in 55 years.

UNC Wilmington took control with a six-run second inning and a five-run third. Foster (13-1) more than made that stand up in his third complete game this season. Foster carried a no hitter into the fifth inning before Chris Perez got the Blue Devils’ first hit.

By that time, Seahawks were firmly in control. Mims had a two-run single to finish the second. He had a bases-loaded, two-out double in the third to put UNC Wilmington ahead 10-0.

Duke’s lone run came when Chris Proctor opened the sixth inning with a triple and came home on Jack Labosky’s sacrifice fly.

The Blue Devils were playing their first NCAA game since 1961.

(Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

——————-

COLUMBIA, SC (UNCW) — Senior Ryan Foster tossed his second career complete game in NCAA tournament play and sophomore Brian Mims finished with five runs batted in as UNCW topped Duke, 11-1, in the opening game of the Columbia Regional on Friday at Founders Park.

The Seahawks ran their record to 40-17 with the win while Duke dropped to 33-23. With Friday’s win, UNCW has won 40 or more games in seven different seasons.

Foster (13-1) set a school record for wins in a season with the win after allowing one run on eight hits and a pair of walks. It was also his third complete game of the season.
Mims fueled the Seahawk offense with a pair of RBI hits, including a two-run single in the second and a bases-loaded double that cleared the bases in the third. Daniel Stack added two hits and scored twice while Robbie Thorburn went 1-for-2 with two runs scored and two driven in. Steven Linkous added a two-run double in the second inning.

The Seahawks batted in around in both innings and sent 10 hitters to the plate in the second inning alone.

Duke starter Brian McAfee (7-5) lasted just two-plus innings in taking the loss. The righthander was roughed up for eight runs on seven hits and a pair of walks.

No one in the Duke lineup had a multi-hit game. Chris Proctor scored the only run after a leadoff triple in the sixth and scoring one batter later on a sac fly by Jack Labosky.

Up next: The Seahawks will play the winner of the South Carolina/Rhode Island game tonight at 6 p.m. on Saturday.

Home Runs: none

How it happened: The Seahawks scored all the runs they would need with six in the second and five more in the third. Steven Linkous and Brian Mims highlighted the second inning outburst with a two-run double and single, respectively. In the third, Mims doubled in three runs as UNCW put the game out of reach with an 11-0 lead.

Inside the box score: Robbie Thorburn plated two runners on third with less than two out as UNCW went 5-for-8 in that situation … Foster recorded 12 outs on ground ball as UNCW turned double plays in both the eighth and ninth innings … Foster allowed just two hits with runners on base … UNCW went 7-for-14 with RISP while Duke was 0-for-2.

Notes: Friday’s game was the first between the two programs since the 2006 season and the Seahawks lead the series, 23-11 … Every starter in UNCW’s lineup had a hit … Foster tossed his second straight complete game in the NCAA tournament after going the distance last season in the opener, a 10-1 win over Tulane, of the Baton Rouge Regional … In two NCAA regional starts, Foster is 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA in 18 innings … With 11 runs in the second and third innings, UNCW has now outscored opponents, 194-100, in the first three innings … The Seahawks are 23-1 when scoring in double digits … UNCW is now 7-9 when not homering … Thorburn extended his team-leading hitting streak to eight games with a RBI single in the second to open the scoring … Gavin Stupienski pushed his on base streak to a career-high tying 33 games with a third inning RBI double.