Sports > March 17, 2005

By Graham Hall

Old Gold & Black Reporter

While most students were off enjoying the sun at the beach or the comforts of home-cooking, the Wake Forest baseball team spent their spring break at school. Luckily, the team seemed unaffected by missing spring break, sweeping UVa. to capture their first ACC series win in two years. The series was an important one for the Deacons, as it was the ACC season opener.

The Deacs opened the series against UVa. March 4 with senior left-handed pitcher Tim Morley on the mound. Morley was only able to go three innings after UVa put up five runs on nine hits. The Deacons batters, however, began the game with an offensive explosion, gaining eight runs in the first inning.

Sophomore third baseman Matt Antonelli led off the first with a double to center and was followed by four consecutive singles by seniors J.B. Tucker, Ben Ingold, Ryder Mathias and sophomore Brendan Enick.

Mathias’s single drove in Antonelli and Enick’s hit giving him two RBI, as Tucker and Ingold scored. Freshman second baseman Andy Goff followed Enick with a sacrifice that drove in Mathias. After freshman right fielder Brett Linnenkohl singled, junior left fielder Casey Sterk reached base on an error that also resulted in Enick scoring from third. With two men on base, senior center fielder Matt Miller came to bat and belted a shot over the right field wall. The inning was the Deacons’ most productive offensive inning of the year.

In the bottom of the third inning Miller came to bat again, this time with no runners on base. Miller played the wind blowing out to right perfectly and chipped the ball over the right field wall for his second home run in as many at bats. Miller would not get a chance for another home run as he was walked in his following two plate appearances. Sophomore Charlie Mellies and junior Kyle Young came in as relief and pitched 5-2/3 innings while only surrendering an earned run to preserve the 11-8 win.

The following day, March 5, the Deacons again began the game scoring early. Enick’s single with Antonelli on third scored the first run of the game and was later followed up by a double from Goff that drove in three runs. The Deacons continued their offensive tear, scoring at least one run in every inning except the seventh.

Sophomore Josh Ellis enjoyed the support from the offense and pitched seven solid innings earning his second win of the season as the team took game two 15-8.

With the series in the bag, the team then looked to sweep UVa. Freshman Matt Hammond got off to a rough start giving up six runs in the first two innings, but then settled down to pitch four scoreless innings. Down 6-1 in the bottom of the fourth, it appeared that the Cavaliers had finally figured out how to slow down the red-hot Deacs.

Then in the fourth, Mathias, Enick and Miller all reached on singles and Goff was given first after being hit by a pitch. Sterk singled to drive in a run and Linnekohl doubled to drive in two more. With the tying run on first, Antonelli stepped to the plate and ripped a shot over the center field wall for the go-ahead home run. In the seventh, freshman reliever Eric Niesen came into the game and shut the Cavaliers down for three innings, not giving up any hits, to preserve the 7-6 win and earn the first save of his collegiate career. 

Coming off an impressive weekend, the Deacons took the field March 8 against Ball State, with senior lefty Kip Bryum getting the first start of his career.

The Deacs fell behind early, as the Cardinals took a 7-2 lead in the third inning.

In that same inning, both Mathias and Tucker singled to drive in a run each.

They were followed by Enick who, with three runners on, hit a home run to right field to get the Deacons within one. In the bottom of the sixth, Mathias was at bat with two runners and a full count. The Cardinals’ pitch missed its target and Mathias took advantage of the mistake launching the go-ahead home run over the right field wall.

The Deacs were able to hold onto the lead as Young pitched the final three innings of the game to earn the win.

The team scored four more insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth to win 15-11. Enick and Mathias led the team with four RBI each.

The Deacons took their five game win streak to Atlanta, Ga. March 11, for a match-up with eighth-ranked Georgia Tech. Wake’s offensive production the weekend before seemed to switch over to the other side of the field as the Yellow Jackets scored at least 15 runs during the weekend series. The Deacs’ offense managed to score in the double digits only once in three games and left Atlanta without a win.

Wake Forest (9-10, 3-3 ACC) will play host to new ACC opponent Miami March 18. The first pitch is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.