By Bob Sutton
Special to The Alamance News
Designated hitter Kaden Smith of Duke’s baseball team matched an Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament record by driving in eight runs in last week’s first-round game against North Carolina State.
Smith, a former Western Alamance player, homered twice in the Blue Devils’ 21-12 romp at Truist Field in Charlotte. He belted a seventh-inning grand slam.
Smith tied a record set by Maryland’s Mike Mur-phy, who knocked in eight runs during a 1985 tournament game.
Duke lost the next day by 6-4 to Virginia despite a hit and RBI from Smith.
The Blue Devils finished the season with a 26-31 record.
Smith, a graduate student, had other strong games in the final month of the season.
He homered twice in Duke’s 11-7 loss to visiting Queens on May 5 at Coombs Field on campus.
In his first season with the Blue Devils, Smith clobbered 13 home runs and drove in a team-leading 48 runs in 45 games.
He batted .287 with nine doubles and one triple.
