Sports > April 21, 2004

By Gerard McMahon

Old Gold and Black Reporter

The Deacons snapped the second-longest losing streak in school history with a 4-1 victory over N.C. State in Raleigh on April 16 before dropping the next two games in the series to the nation’s 24th-ranked team. Despite snapping their losing skid, the Deacs have still lost 15 of their last 17 games after also beating a feisty UNC-Asheville team.

The Deacons received their first bit of good news before the first pitch was even thrown, as senior Nick Blue, who had been the designated hitter for most of the year, returned to the field to play second base for the first time in well over a year. The move pushed senior Brad Scioletti from second base to first and moved junior Ryder Mathias from first base to designated hitter.

“We finally had our best defensive lineup in the field,” Head Coach George Greer said. “We had made an agreement with Nick that when he took the field it would not be on a part-time basis — it would not be good for the team. Now that he’s out there, he will stay out there.”

The outset of the first game of the series did not appear to be the game that would snap Wake’s losing streak, as starting pitcher junior Justin Keadle allowed a quick first inning run to the Wolfpack. The Deacs struck right back in the top half of the second on an RBI single by senior Blue to score junior catcher J.B. Tucker.

Both pitchers then shut down the opposing offenses for the next five innings until the Deacons struck again in the top of the eighth. The inning started with a solo home run to left by sophomore left fielder Casey Sterk, his third home run of the year. Two batters later, freshman third baseman Matt Antonelli singled and scored on a triple by junior shortstop Ben Ingold. Senior right fielder Steve LeFaivre sent Ingold the final 90 feet with an RBI single to center.

Keadle held the Wolfpack scoreless the final two innings to give the club a 4-1 victory. After starting the year 0-3, Keadle earned his first win of the year with the complete game, allowing only five hits while striking out 10 on 137 pitches.

Sophomore Kyle Young took the hill for the Deacs in the second game of the series and allowed all seven of N.C. State’s runs in his six innings of work. Young left the game down 7-0 after six, hoping for some of the Deacs’ come-from-behind magic. The offense scratched across runs in the eighth and ninth innings, but that ultimately was not enough as the Deacs fell 7-2.

Young took the loss to fall to 3-4 on the year. Freshman Charlie Mellies and junior Danny Mackey each pitched a scoreless inning of relief in the loss.

The rubber game of the series featured a slugfest as both starting pitchers were knocked out of the game early. Deacon starter, junior Tim Morley, dropped to 2-5 after lasting only 3 2/3 innings and allowing nine runs before being pulled for junior Daniel Davidson.

The Deacs put three on the board in the first as a hit batsman, a walk, and a single loaded the bases with nobody out. Scioletti drew an RBI walk before an infield single by Tucker scored the Deacons’ second run of the inning. After an RBI single to left by Ryder Mathias, Wake Forest led 3-0 and the Wolfpack’s pitcher was done for the afternoon. An inning-ending double play ended the threat for the Deacs.

N.C. State promptly responded with four runs of its own off Morley, but Wake Forest answered right back with one run each in the second and third innings to take a 5-4 lead into the fourth.

That was the last lead for the away team in the game, however, as the Wolfpack scored six in the fourth inning, three more in the seventh and one final run in the eighth. The Deacons tacked on their final run in the sixth inning on a sacrifice fly by LeFaivre to score Blue, who had reached base via a walk. Blue was held hitless in the game, snapping his 11-game hitting streak.

Wake Forest returned home to take on UNC-Asheville April 20 with freshman Josh Ellis taking the hill for the Deacs. Ellis allowed five runs in his three innings, including a first-inning run that put the Deacons in an early hole. Ellis’ offense picked him up in the bottom of the inning as Ingold singled and stole second before scoring on a single to left by LeFaivre. LeFaivre scored on an RBI triple by Scioletti.

After UNC-Asheville tied the game in the top of the second, a long home run by Mathias, his third, regained the lead for the home team. UNC-Asheville scored three in the third to go up 5-3, but Wake Forest answered again in the bottom of the fourth when Sterk tripled home junior center fielder Matt Miller, who had reached base on a fielder’s choice. Sterk later scored on a single by Blue.

UNC-Asheville went up 7-5 with a two-run fifth inning, but that lead only held for two innings as the Wake Forest offense struck again in the bottom of the seventh. Back-to-back singles by Antonelli and Ingold followed by a double steal and a wild pitch put a runner at third with nobody out and one run in for LeFaivre. After a LeFaivre walk and a wild pitch scored Ingold and advanced LeFaivre to second, Mathias doubled home LeFaivre for his second RBI of the game, putting the Deacs ahead to stay this time.