Sports > March 19, 2003

By Jason Mazda

Assistant Sports Editor

After starting the season 10-5 in non-conference play and falling from 7th to 14th in the national rankings, the baseball team opened ACC play with a three-game sweep of the Maryland Terrapins in College Park, Md. The series saw a little bit of everything, starting with a tight 5-4 win in the opener, followed by a 12-2 plastering, and finally concluding with a crazy 14-10 extra-inning win.

“It’s always nice to win,” Head Coach George Greer said of his team’s effort. “And it’s always nice to win the games that everybody thinks you’re supposed to win also.”

Junior ace Kyle Sleeth started the opener March 14, and the Deacs took a quick 1-0 in the first as senior Adam Bourassa led off with a walk, advanced to third on a single by senior Ryan Johnson, and scored on a passed ball.

Sleeth was his usual lights-out self through the first four innings, allowing just one hit, but in the fifth he gave up three runs as the Deacs fell behind, 3-1. The damage was done on just two hits and one walk, as the Terps got their runs on an RBI double, an RBI groundout, and a wild pitch. He was replaced by sophomore reliever Daniel Davidson after pitching five innings, allowing just three hits and striking out six.

Davidson pitched a perfect sixth, and the Deacs tied it back up in the top of the seventh on a bases loaded, two-out single by senior Jamie D’Antona, scoring sophomore Ben Ingold and freshman Steve Malinowski.

In the eighth, though, the Terps regained the lead. With two outs and runners on first and second, Hanson threw a wild pitch, allowing the lead runner to advance, and then gave up the go-ahead run on a single to centerfield.

Down 4-3 to a team among the worst in the ACC, the Deacs refused to lose. Bourassa led off the top of the ninth by reaching second on an error by Maryland leftfielder Will Frazier. Hubbard then singled, advancing Bourassa to third with no outs. Then, however, senior Ryan Johnson lined out to the first baseman, and Hubbard was doubled up for the second out of the inning. With the game on the line, the Deacs’ leading run producer, D’Antona, came through with a single, knocking in Bourassa to tie the game. Senior Jeff Ruziecki followed with a single, and junior Dough Riepe was hit by a pitch, loading the bases with two outs and the game tied for freshman Chris Getz. Getz was calm under pressure, and drew a walk, forcing in what was eventually the winning run.

Hanson came back out and pitched a perfect ninth, striking out two, to earn the win as the Deacs prevailed, 5-4.

The second game of the series, March 15, was a major disappointment for the Terrapins after hanging with the Deacs in the first game.

Wake Forest sophomore starter Tim Morley took the hill and earned his second win of the season, allowing just two runs while scattering eight hits over seven innings, and striking out six, and junior Indy Wilkinson did not allow a run in two innings of relief.

“Tim is one of our main guys that we had projected (in the rotation) when we recruited him,” Greer said. “He’s living up to all of our expectations at this point.”

Morley got more than enough run support from his offense.

D’Antona continued to provide the Deacs with one of the nation’s best power bats in the middle of the lineup, going 4-for-5 and driving in three. With a homer, a double and two singles, D’Antona fell just a triple shy of hitting for the cycle.

Ruziecki, hampered by injuries in the beginning of the season, hit his first two homeruns of the season. Johnson added a homer as well, his team-leading sixth of the year. Johnson was 3-for-6 in the game.

Malinowski also had three hits in the game for the Deacs, and Hubbard, Ingold and junior Steve LeFaivre each added two as Wake Forest racked up 19 hits and won the game, 12-2.

March 16, though, the Deacs were in for another thriller.

Wake Forest jumped out to a commanding 9-2 lead after six-and-a-half innings and senior starter Seth Hill appeared to be coasting to his third win of the season. In the seventh and eighth innings, though, Hill and freshman reliever Kirby Wedekind allowed seven runs as Maryland stormed back to tie it. Only three of the nine runs the Deacs allowed at that point were earned, however, as a result of two Deacon errors. “It’s somewhat of a coincidence,” Greer said of the amount of costly errors made in Hill’s starts. “But also, he’s not a big strikeout pitcher (as opposed to certain other Deacon pitchers) so the ball gets put in play. You have to make the plays. We seem to have not made the plays when he pitches.”

The Deacs and Terps remained deadlocked at 9-9 until the 13th inning. With one out, Malinoswki and Hubbard each singled and Bourassa walked. Johnson then struck out swinging, and the table was set for, you guessed it, D’Antona. And, as he had all weekend, D’Antona delivered in the clutch, with a two-run single down the right field line. Ruziecki then finished the job, clearing the bases with a three-run homer to put the Deacs ahead by five, 14-9.

In the bottom of the 13th, Hanson allowed two hits and a run before getting the final out to earn the win. Hanson pitched a total of 5-1/3 innings, allowing just that one run on four hits and striking out two.

Also of note in the game, Bourassa stole his 16th base of the season. He has not been caught stealing yet.

With the sweep, the Deacs’ record now stands at 13-5, 3-0 in the ACC. Greer said he hopes the team continues to play well and get into a rhythm.

“I think that when we can get all our people back healthy except for Nick Blue (who is out for this season), we can put the same lineup on the field all the time, we can feel more comfortable in our lineup sequence,” Greer said.

Before the Maryland series, the Deacs played games against Albany, Liberty, Wofford and a three-game series against Lemoyne, which yielded mixed results.

The Deacs blew out Albany March 6, 25-1, in a game highlighted by the Deacs’ 13-run fourth inning, the third-highest single inning total in school history.

Sophomore Brian Bach pitched five innings, giving up just one run on two hits and striking out five. D’Antona was 3-for-5, with a homerun, a double and six RBIs. Riepe also homered and had two RBIs, and Getz homered, scored four runs and stole a base. Bourassa was 4-for-6 with a double, four runs scored and a stolen base, and Ingold was 4-for-5 with four runs scored and two RBIs.

The Deacs then hosted Lemoyne for a tough weekend series March 7-9. The Deacs won the first game, 3-2, as Sleeth pitched a complete game, giving up just two runs, one earned, on four hits and striking out seven. Johnson hit a solo homer and junior Brad Scioletti was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Bourassa doubled and scored a run.

March 8, the Deacs beat Lemoyne, 6-3, behind a solid start by Morley. The sophomore gave up just two runs on five hits in seven innings, striking out eight and getting the win. Hanson picked up the two-inning save. LeFaivre was 2-for-4 with a homer for the Deacs. D’Antona also homered in the game, and Getz was 2-for-4 with a triple and two runs scored. Bourassa was 2-for-3 and collected two stolen bases.

In the series finale, however, four errors plagued the Deacs as they fell, 6-5, to Lemoyne, which won for the first time in its seven games this season.

Hill gave the Deacs 6-2/3 innings, allowing five runs, four earned, on nine hits and striking out four. Davidson replaced Hill and pitched into the ninth, leaving the game with one out and two men in scoring position thanks to an error, and taking the loss when the winning run scored on a sacrifice fly off Hanson, since Davidson was responsible for the runner. Getz was 2-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI in the game. Johnson and D’Antona each contributed two hits and an RBI.

The Deacs looked to rebound March 11 in Lynchburg, Va., against Liberty College. After leaving the game with a 5-4 lead in after pitching seven strong innings, Bach saw the win slip away in the bottom of the eighth as reliever Davidson yielded two runs on three hits, and the Deacs dropped their second consecutive 6-5 game. The baserunner who eventually became the winning run made his way around the bases thanks to a balk and a wild pitch by Davidson.

“We made key errors,” Greer said of the two losses. “If you make key errors in a tight ballgame, sometimes you cant recover. We didn’t recover.”

On the offensive side for the Deacs, Bourassa was 3-for-5 with two stolen bases. Hubbard didn’t get a hit in the game, but walked twice and also stole two bases. Johnson had two RBIs, and LeFaivre, who came into the game as a pinch hitter in the sixth, was 2-for-2 with an RBI. The Deacs then returned home March 12 for one last tune-up before the Maryland series, and they took out their aggression after two straight losses on Wofford.

Young started the game, giving up five runs in 4-1/3 innings, and Wilkinson picked up his first career win in relief.

The Deacs put up their second 13-run inning in a week, as the sixth inning was highlighted by four consecutive doubles by Bourassa, Hubbard, Scioletti and D’Antona. Bourassa and Ruziecki each had two doubles in the game, and Johnson had a homer.  Ruziecki had four RBIs, while Bourassa, Riepe, D’Antona and Malinowski each had three. D’Antona and Ruziecki were each 4-for-7.