SALEM, VA - Duke's Tim Layden had no victories in seven decisions and something to prove in an elimination game of the ACC tournament. <br>
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He did it with the gem of his career Friday, going seven innings, matching his career high with eight strikeouts and getting three hits as the ninth-seeded Blue Devils sent the fourth-seeded Tigers home, 7-4. <br>
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``Every time you step on the field, you have something to prove,'' said Layden, who allowed two runs after coming in with a 9.39 earned run average. ``Regardless of your record or ERA, you are going to go out there and battle. Today I basically did that and threw the record book out.'' <br>
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Duke used a seven-run second against Tigers ace Tyler Lumsden to make it easier, allowing Layden to focus simply on throwing strikes. <br>
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``Any time you go out there with a fairly big lead, you feel more comfortable. The pressure is on them to put runs on the board,'' he said. <br>
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Layden (1-7) made big pitches when he needed them after allowing Michael Johnson's home run in the first. He allowed 10 hits, but escaped a bases-loaded, one out jam in the seventh by allowing just a sacrifice fly. <br>
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Clemson (38-20), the tournament runner-up in three of the last four years, became the first one to go home after the horrible second. <br>
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Lumsden (8-2), who starred at nearby Cave Spring High School, didn't help either, allowing four hits, walking in two runs and getting one out. <br>
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Duke's first six batters reached in the second, one on an error by second baseman David Slevin, another when Slevin couldn't handle shortstop Russell Triplett's throw on what would have been a forceout at second. <br>
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Layden, who also batted cleanup, had two hits an an RBI in the inning, which finally ended when John Berger bounced into a 6-4-3 double play. <br>
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``The same thing got us that has been getting us lately the big inning,'' Clemson coach Jack Leggett said. ``That one inning killed us.'' <br>
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Duke improved to 18-35 with its second victory in three games here. The Blue Devils also beat Maryland on Tuesday night in the play-in game. <br>
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Layden twice struck out cleanup hitter Brad McCann with two runners on to end innings, then allowed a sacrifice fly by McCann in the seventh. <br>
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``Not many of his changeups were strikes, but they were when we swung at them,'' Leggett said. ``I'm embarrassed at how we played.'' <br>
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Clemson scored in the eighth against Jim Perry on Roberto Valiente's double, but Garrick Evans bounced into a double play to end the threat. <br>
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The Tigers also scored in the ninth on McCann's double off Zach Screiber, but he got the last two outs without further damage to end it. <br>
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The Blue Devils will next play the loser of the winners' bracket game between Georgia Tech and North Carolina State in another elimination game.