Sports > February 28, 2008

By Martin Rickman | Staff writer

The baseball team began its season with a trip to California. The trip, however, was indicative of the weather: messy, as the team took one of three games against Pepperdine Feb. 22-24.

click to enlarge

Sophomore relief pitcher Phil Negus delivers a pitch in the Deacons’ 13-9 victory on Feb. 23 at Pepperdine. Negus earned the win by pitching 3 2/3 innings of shutout baseball, while allowing only one hit and striking out two. (Jeff Merski/Old Gold & Black)

In a series scheduled for four games, rain forced the two teams to cancel Friday’s game.

The Deacs then played a double header on Saturday dropping the first 3-2 and winning the second 13-9.

The final game of the series on Feb. 24 was troublesome, as rain again delayed the start time. Wake, behind some sloppy play, saw themselves in a hole early, down 18-0 after five innings and ultimately losing 22-3.

The first game touted the Deacon batters against Pepperdine’s ace, Brett Hunter.

Hunter has been clocked on the radar gun at over 100 miles per hour. His fastball nearly matched that all game, as he consistently threw in the mid 90s and struck out six through six innings.

Senior Ben Hunter took the hill for the Deacons. He dueled the Waves’ star effectively, giving up three runs through five innings of work, allowing seven hits and walking three, while striking out five.

“I felt like I saw him well and guys like (Alan) Dykstra saw him well,” senior outfielder Brett Linnenkohl said about facing Hunter, a future MLB prospect.

“Facing next-level guys like Hunter is what you look back to and is why you play college ball.”

Dykstra was the only one who had any substantial success against Hunter, going 3-3 against him and scoring a run off of Dustin Hood’s single in the first inning. The Deacs scored two in that inning, but they were unable to score the rest of the game. The Deacs got their revenge in the second game, breaking out for 15 hits and winning 13-9.

Both teams’ bats were hot, as the score was 8-7 at the end of the fifth inning. Freshman catcher Ian Tomkins and outfielder Steven Brooks combined to go 5-7 with five runs scored. They each hit a solo homerun.

“Our freshmen seem like they’re already veterans,” Linnenkohl said. “They fit in really well with what we’re trying to do as a team.”

Sophomore Phil Negus earned the victory for the Deacs, pitching 3.2 innings of relief and only allowing one hit.

The Deacs, as well as Pepperdine, were plagued with mistakes that both teams chalked up to early-season jitters, as the teams combined for three errors, five hit by pitches and four wild pitches during the game. The rain proved to be a negative factor.

“I believe the rain affected the mentality of the games. You’re amped to play and you have one game canceled and delays and I think it did hurt,” Linnenkohl said.

After the second game, Wake was forced to wait through another rain delay before playing the third game of the series.

With rain in the area again, the game was pushed back to 4 p.m. after its scheduled 1:30 p.m. start time.

The Deacs would have preferred a cancellation, as Pepperdine exploded for 22 runs, leading 18-0 after five, and ultimately winning 22-3.

The fourth inning netted 10 runs for the Waves, and the Deacs used seven different pitchers on the day. Wake collected three runs on five hits, with designated hitter Weldon Woodall going 2-2 with three RBIs and shortstop Dustin Hood going 2-4.

Against Appalachian State on Feb. 27, the Deacs looked like they experienced a hangover at Hooks Stadium, as the Mountaineers’ bats came alive early and often, racking up 18 hits and ultimately falling 18-8.

Starter Matt Hammond could not get out of the first inning, recording one out while allowing six runs, four of them earned. Wake was forced to use eight pitchers on the day as App. State scored multiple runs in five different innings.

Dykstra continued his hot hitting, going 2-3 with three runs scored, three RBIs and two HRs. Brooks also had good day, going 2-5 with two runs scored, while Tomkins went 2-3. Linnenkohl had a good statistical day as well, going 1-3 with a run scored, two walks and a SB.

The team will have to have a short memory, as they leave for Dothan, Ala., on Feb. 28 for a tournament that starts against Kennesaw State on Feb. 29.

“We need to focus on the basics,” Linnenkohl said. “We just have to get through one pitch at a time and one out at a time. A lot of our mistakes were circumstantial. Our pitchers can pitch and we have a veteran team and I think we’ll be ok.”