K
Kelly Quinlan
Guest
Wake Forest pitchers allowed just one earned run in 18.0 innings, beating the Golden Flashes by 7-2 and 5-0 scores.
Link to Online Release: http://deacs.info/2m9OqVv
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- The Wake Forest baseball team earned a doubleheader sweep over Kent State, winning by scores of 7-2 and 5-0 at David F. Couch Ballpark on Saturday.
Over the 18 innings of game action, four Demon Deacon (8-4) pitchers combined to allow just one earned run on six total hits by the Golden Flashes, (7-3) a 45-win team a season ago.
Game 1: Wake Forest 7, Kent State 2
Parker Dunshee (2-1) tossed 6.0+ innings of three-hit ball, striking out four. John McCarren took over for him with the bases loaded and nobody out in the seventh, and forced a fielder's choice and double play to escape while only surrendering one run.
McCarren went on to toss 3.0 hitless frames, striking out two and allowing just one walk, to earn his first save since 2015.
Jake Mueller and Johnny Aiello led the offense with three hits apiece.
After Kent State scored an unearned run in the top of the third, the Deacs tied it in the second on a Stuart Fairchild RBI double.
Jonathan Pryor and Mueller each tallied RBI singles in the fourth to put the Deacs in front, 3-1, and a Keegan Maronpot sac fly in the fifth pushed the margin to 4-1.
After McCarren escaped the seventh inning jam with a 4-2 lead, Gavin Sheets hit a frozen rope over the right-field wall in the bottom of the inning for his fourth homer of the season to increase the advantage to 6-2.
Bruce Steel doubled and came around to score on a pitch to the backstop in the eighth to close out the scoring.
Game 2: Wake Forest 5, Kent State 0
Wake Forest scored five runs over the first three innings and pitchers Donnie Sellers (2-0) and Morgan McSweeney cruised on the mound en route to the victory.
Sellers didn't allow a baserunner until the fifth inning, as he finished with 7.0 shutout innings. He struck out six golden flashes without allowing a walk, giving up just three hits.
McSweeney tossed 2.0 perfect frames in relief to seal the win.
Gavin Sheets had an RBI double and Ben Breazeale added an RBI single in the bottom of the first to put the Deacs in front, 2-0.
Jonathan Pryor drilled a two-run double off the top of the left-field wall in the second to double Wake Forest's lead to 4-0.
In the third inning, Stuart Fairchild singled and advanced to third on a Johnny Aiello double. Then, Fairchild executed a straight steal of home for Wake Forest's fifth and final run of the contest.
Pryor, Breazeale and Fairchild finished the second game with two hits apiece.
PITCHING TAKING THE SPOTLIGHT
• Wake Forest entered the weekend with a 5.31 team ERA. In just three games, that has dropped by more than a run to 4.04.
• The Deacs have surrendered just two earned runs in 29.0 innings of baseball over the weekend.
• Opposing hitters are hitting just .239 against the Deacs in 2017.
SWIPED
• Wake Forest more than doubled its season stolen base total during Saturday's doubleheader.
• The Deacs entered the day with five steals in six attempts. Wake Forest was successful on 6-of-7 attempts Saturday - three from Stuart Fairchild, two from Nick DiPonzio and one from Bruce Steel.
ON DECK
• Wake Forest closes out the weekend against Radford at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
• Radford pitcher Danny Hrbek pitched a no-hitter during the game between the Highlanders and Quinnipiac on Saturday morning. He struck out eight in 9.0 innings, allowing just one baserunner to reach on an error.
Link to Online Release: http://deacs.info/2m9OqVv
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- The Wake Forest baseball team earned a doubleheader sweep over Kent State, winning by scores of 7-2 and 5-0 at David F. Couch Ballpark on Saturday.
Over the 18 innings of game action, four Demon Deacon (8-4) pitchers combined to allow just one earned run on six total hits by the Golden Flashes, (7-3) a 45-win team a season ago.
Game 1: Wake Forest 7, Kent State 2
Parker Dunshee (2-1) tossed 6.0+ innings of three-hit ball, striking out four. John McCarren took over for him with the bases loaded and nobody out in the seventh, and forced a fielder's choice and double play to escape while only surrendering one run.
McCarren went on to toss 3.0 hitless frames, striking out two and allowing just one walk, to earn his first save since 2015.
Jake Mueller and Johnny Aiello led the offense with three hits apiece.
After Kent State scored an unearned run in the top of the third, the Deacs tied it in the second on a Stuart Fairchild RBI double.
Jonathan Pryor and Mueller each tallied RBI singles in the fourth to put the Deacs in front, 3-1, and a Keegan Maronpot sac fly in the fifth pushed the margin to 4-1.
After McCarren escaped the seventh inning jam with a 4-2 lead, Gavin Sheets hit a frozen rope over the right-field wall in the bottom of the inning for his fourth homer of the season to increase the advantage to 6-2.
Bruce Steel doubled and came around to score on a pitch to the backstop in the eighth to close out the scoring.
Game 2: Wake Forest 5, Kent State 0
Wake Forest scored five runs over the first three innings and pitchers Donnie Sellers (2-0) and Morgan McSweeney cruised on the mound en route to the victory.
Sellers didn't allow a baserunner until the fifth inning, as he finished with 7.0 shutout innings. He struck out six golden flashes without allowing a walk, giving up just three hits.
McSweeney tossed 2.0 perfect frames in relief to seal the win.
Gavin Sheets had an RBI double and Ben Breazeale added an RBI single in the bottom of the first to put the Deacs in front, 2-0.
Jonathan Pryor drilled a two-run double off the top of the left-field wall in the second to double Wake Forest's lead to 4-0.
In the third inning, Stuart Fairchild singled and advanced to third on a Johnny Aiello double. Then, Fairchild executed a straight steal of home for Wake Forest's fifth and final run of the contest.
Pryor, Breazeale and Fairchild finished the second game with two hits apiece.
PITCHING TAKING THE SPOTLIGHT
• Wake Forest entered the weekend with a 5.31 team ERA. In just three games, that has dropped by more than a run to 4.04.
• The Deacs have surrendered just two earned runs in 29.0 innings of baseball over the weekend.
• Opposing hitters are hitting just .239 against the Deacs in 2017.
SWIPED
• Wake Forest more than doubled its season stolen base total during Saturday's doubleheader.
• The Deacs entered the day with five steals in six attempts. Wake Forest was successful on 6-of-7 attempts Saturday - three from Stuart Fairchild, two from Nick DiPonzio and one from Bruce Steel.
ON DECK
• Wake Forest closes out the weekend against Radford at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
• Radford pitcher Danny Hrbek pitched a no-hitter during the game between the Highlanders and Quinnipiac on Saturday morning. He struck out eight in 9.0 innings, allowing just one baserunner to reach on an error.
