Sports > February 20, 2003

By Jason Mazda

Assistant Sports Editor

The baseball team’s scheduled three-game weekend series against the West Virginia Mountaineers was marred by the treacherous weather conditions that have hit the East Coast. One game, however, was salvaged, as the Deacons defeated the Mountaineers, 10-2, Feb.15.

Sandwiched in between a rainy Friday and a snowy Sunday, at a cold and wet Hooks Stadium, sophomore pitcher Brian Bach led the Deacons (2-1) back above .500 with an impressive performance against West Virginia (0-1). Bach gave the Deacs seven strong innings, allowing just two runs and seven hits, and striking out seven. He walked just two. Fellow sophomore Daniel Davidson preserved the victory for Bach, allowing just one hit and striking out three over the final two innings.

Arguably the most valuable players for the Deacons, however, were the West Virginia pitchers and defense, as the game was as sloppy as the weather. While the Deacons outscored the Mountaineers by a score of 10-2, they were actually outhit, 8-6. The West Virginia pitchers walked fourteen Wake Forest batters in the game and had three passed balls, while the Mountaineer defense made three errors. Jason DiAngelo, the starter for West Virginia, and Marty Fagler each walked five, and David Walker and Ryan Lipscomb walked two each.

The tone was set in the first inning, when the Deacons went hitless but went up 1-0. After DiAngelo walked seniors Adam Bourassa, Ryan Hubbard and Ryan Johnson to start the inning, junior cleanup hitter Jamie D’Antona hit into a double play, but in doing so knocked in Bourassa to give the Deacs the lead, before junior Steve LeFaivre ended the inning with a groundout.

West Virginia then tied the game in the top of the second with two singles and an RBI groundout.

In the bottom of the third, however, the Deacs struck again. With two outs, Hubbard reached base on a fielding error by West Virginia shortstop Grant Psomas. Johnson then drew his second walk of the game. With runners on first and second, D’Antona got the Deacs’ first hit of the game, doubling to left-centerfield and scoring Hubbard, putting Wake Forest up 2-1. LeFaivre then struck out to end the inning, but the Deacs did not trail again in the game.

The following inning was when the Deacons really broke it open, though. Junior Brad Scioletti led off with a walk. Di Angelo was then replaced by Fagler, who picked up right where his teammate had left off by walking freshman Chris Getz, who got the start at second base after filling in for sophomore shortstop Ben Ingold in the first two games. Freshman Steve Malinowski then singled to centerfield, loading the bases for Ingold. Ingold, making his first start of the season, made it 3-1 with a sacrifice fly to centerfield.

Bourassa then walked for the second time in the game, loading the bases again. Hubbard then reached base on yet another fielding error by shortstop Psomas, scoring another run. Johnson hit a sacrifice fly to score another run. With two outs, D’Antona walked to load the bases again. LeFaivre then singled to center, driving in two runs to put the Deacs up 7-1 before Scioletti struck out to end the inning.

In the fifth, Getz led off with a single and Malinowski reached on an error. Ingold then sacrifice bunted the runners over, and Bourassa sacrifice bunted to score Getz, making it 8-1.

In the sixth, Johnson each walked, setting up a one-out RBI double by Scioletti to put the Deacons up 9-1.

Finally, the Deacs capped off the scoring in the eighth. D’Antona, Scioletti and Getz walked to load the bases and Malinowski lined out to center to knock in the game’s final run.

The Deacs then had yet another game cancelled Feb. 19, against Davidson, due to the poor field conditions that still plague Hooks Stadium after the weekend’s bad weather.

Next up, Wake Forest welcomes James Madison to Hooks Stadium for a three-game series Feb. 21-23.