Sports > April 2, 2003

By Jason Mazda

Assistant Sports Editor

Exactly two years and three days after the last time Kyle Sleeth lost a game, the junior ace of the Wake Forest pitching staff struck out a career-high 13 en route to tying the NCAA record for consecutive wins. The Deacons demolished the Duke Blue Devils, 11-1 in a game, which took place March 28, was just three days after the two-year anniversary of Sleeth’s last loss, which came during his freshman year. Sleeth gave up five runs in 3-1/3 innings in a 9-1 Deacon loss March 25, 2001 against then-No. 10 Clemson.

Since that loss, Sleeth has won 26 consecutive decisions, tying him for the NCAA record, and his Deacons have climbed into first place in the ACC with a two-game sweep of Duke.

In the series opener at Hooks Stadium, Sleeth had the crowd of 1,800 slightly worried, allowing a solo homerun by the second hitter of the game, putting the Deacs in a 1-0 hole. He quickly settled down, though, allowing just seven hits and striking out a career-high 13 in eight innings. He said the crowd, easily the largest for a Wake Forest home game so far this season, helped him perform well.

“I think it’s always better when there are more fans there,” Sleeth said. “I kind of feed off that stuff.”

With Sleeth in control of the Duke hitters, the Deacon offense took care of the rest.

Senior Ryan Johnson was 3-for-4 with a homerun, a walk, four RBIs and three runs scored. Junior Steve LeFaivre had a three-run homer.

Junior Jamie D’Antona continued his march toward the Wake Forest career RBI and homerun records. D’Antona was 2-for-4 with three RBIs, including a two-run homerun. With two RBIs the following game, D’Antona now has 48 RBIs and nine homeruns in 26 games this season, giving him 208 RBIs and 46 homers in his career. He needs 10 more homeruns and 34 more RBIs to set the school records. The Deacs have 25 regular season games left on the schedule, and then the postseason.

March 29 the Deacs took on Duke again, this time in a night game at Ernie Shore Field in front of 976 fans, many from the community.

Duke got out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning off sophomore starter Tim Morley, but a 25-minute rain delay between the second and third innings helped to change the momentum.

Freshman Steven Malinowski and senior Adam Bourassa led off the bottom of the third inning with back-to-back doubles, getting the Deacs on the board and Bourassa stole his 20th base of the season before being driven in on a sacrifice fly off the bat of D’Antona, cutting the score to 3-2. Bourassa has not been caught stealing yet this season.

Duke made it 4-2 in the fourth inning, but the Deacs went back to work in the fifth. With one out, senior Ryan Hubbard reached on an error, Johnson walked and D’Antona was hit by a pitch, loading the bases. Duke reliever Zach Schreiber then walked senior Jeff Ruziecki to force in a run, and threw a wild pitch, allowing the tying run to come in. Just like that, the Deacs scored two runs in the inning without getting a hit.

The two teams remained deadlocked at 4-4 until the bottom of the seventh inning, when Johnson led off with a walk and was driven on an RBI double by D’Antona. D’Antona eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Ruziecki to put the Deacs up 6-4. The Deacs iced it in the following inning when Bourassa led off with a double and scored on a bunt single by Hubbard and an error.

Junior Adam Hanson picked up the win, giving up just two hits and striking out three in three shutout innings of relief.

“I thought our kids played really well (March 29) to battle back,” Head Coach Greer said. “They really played hard and they deserved to win.”

Asked whether the rain delay helped the Deacs change the tide of the game