Duke used a five-run fifth inning to hand No. 9 Clemson an 8-4 loss on Sunday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, giving the Blue Devils the series win and handing the Tigers their third straight ACC series loss.
Clemson (38-15, 15-12 ACC) has now dropped nine of its last 12 games and continues to slide in the ACC standings, falling behind Duke (36-16, 16-11) after the weekend. The Blue Devils now hold a one-game edge and the tiebreaker over the Tigers.
BJ Bailey took the loss after giving up seven runs on nine hits in just over four innings of work, tying a career high for earned runs allowed. Freshman Nathan Dvorsky was a bright spot out of the bullpen, striking out seven of the nine batters he faced over 2.2 innings…