The Blue Devils started their final series of the regular season facing off against rivals North Carolina. Duke got the upper hand in the opening game of the series in Chapel Hill, dominating the 3rd-ranked Tar Heels in an 8-4 victory.
Duke started hot going up 2-0 early, but UNC scored four runs early in the fourth inning to pull ahead in the fourth inning. However, the Duke offense stepped up in the next inning to score three runs and put Duke ahead 5-4 and the team would keep the lid for good. The Blue Devil defense also excelled in the final five innings, shutting out the Tar Heels for the rest of the game and allowing only three hits by North Carolina for the entire game.