Wake Forest handed the Cardinals their first home loss of the season thanks to a Gavin Sheets two-run homer and a strong pitching effort from Parker Dunshee and Griffin Roberts.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- A two-run blast by Gavin Sheets held up as a strong pitching effort led No. 17 Wake Forest to a 2-1 victory over No. 2 Louisville at Jim Patterson Stadium on Friday night.
The Demon Deacons (23-8, 9-4 ACC) hand the Cardinals (25-4, 10-3 ACC) their first home loss of the season, snapping a 37-game regular season home winning streak dating back to last year.
The win is also Wake Forest's first-ever victory over Louisville, after the Cardinals claimed the first seven meetings.
Parker Dunshee (6-1) was stellar on the mound once again, striking out six and allowing just one run on five hits and a walk over 7.0 innings.
Griffin Roberts entered in the eighth and kept the Cards off the board over his 2.0 innings of work, striking out four while surrendering a hit and a walk as he picked up his third save.
Louisville put the first run on the scoreboard in the third inning. Logan Taylor singled and advanced on a sacrifice bunt, scoring on a Colby Fitch RBI single.
The next half inning, Stuart Fairchild roped a double, setting the stage for a towering two-run homer from Sheets, his career-high 10th of the season.
Louisville put a runner in scoring position in each of the final two innings, but Roberts got an inning-ending strikeout each time to maintain Wake Forest's lead.
Brendan McKay was saddled with the loss for Louisville, allowing two runs on five hits and a walk over 7.0 innings, striking out 11.
For Wake Forest, Sheets finished the day 3-for-4 with a double in addition to his home run, while Fairchild also had a pair of hits.
DUNSHEE DEALING
• Wake Forest senior pitcher Parker Dunshee improved to 6-0 over his last seven starts. He has a 2.84 ERA over his last six outings, and a 2.42 mark over his last four.
• With six more strikeouts, Dunshee leapfrogged Buddy Jenkins (1987-91) in career strikeouts. Dunshee now has 279, passing Jenkins' mark of 277. John Hendricks ranks first all-time with 312, while Mike MacDougal is second with 288.
• Dunshee also jumped into a tie for fourth all-time with 25 victories, matching Scott Siemon and Mike MacDougal's total.
RANKED SUCCESS
• The Demon Deacons have now claimed four of the last five games against ranked foes. Wake Forest has taken down No. 2 Louisville, took two-of-three from then-No. 20 NC State, and also won at then-No. 18 Coastal Carolina.
• The victory was Wake Forest's first against a top-two team since taking a series from No. 1 Virginia at the end of the 2014 season. The Deacs' only other game against a top-two team in that span was a loss at No. 2 Texas A&M last year.
ON DECK
• Wake Forest looks to claim its fifth-straight ACC series to start the year on Saturday, as game two of the series is set for 1 p.m.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- A two-run blast by Gavin Sheets held up as a strong pitching effort led No. 17 Wake Forest to a 2-1 victory over No. 2 Louisville at Jim Patterson Stadium on Friday night.
The Demon Deacons (23-8, 9-4 ACC) hand the Cardinals (25-4, 10-3 ACC) their first home loss of the season, snapping a 37-game regular season home winning streak dating back to last year.
The win is also Wake Forest's first-ever victory over Louisville, after the Cardinals claimed the first seven meetings.
Parker Dunshee (6-1) was stellar on the mound once again, striking out six and allowing just one run on five hits and a walk over 7.0 innings.
Griffin Roberts entered in the eighth and kept the Cards off the board over his 2.0 innings of work, striking out four while surrendering a hit and a walk as he picked up his third save.
Louisville put the first run on the scoreboard in the third inning. Logan Taylor singled and advanced on a sacrifice bunt, scoring on a Colby Fitch RBI single.
The next half inning, Stuart Fairchild roped a double, setting the stage for a towering two-run homer from Sheets, his career-high 10th of the season.
Louisville put a runner in scoring position in each of the final two innings, but Roberts got an inning-ending strikeout each time to maintain Wake Forest's lead.
Brendan McKay was saddled with the loss for Louisville, allowing two runs on five hits and a walk over 7.0 innings, striking out 11.
For Wake Forest, Sheets finished the day 3-for-4 with a double in addition to his home run, while Fairchild also had a pair of hits.
DUNSHEE DEALING
• Wake Forest senior pitcher Parker Dunshee improved to 6-0 over his last seven starts. He has a 2.84 ERA over his last six outings, and a 2.42 mark over his last four.
• With six more strikeouts, Dunshee leapfrogged Buddy Jenkins (1987-91) in career strikeouts. Dunshee now has 279, passing Jenkins' mark of 277. John Hendricks ranks first all-time with 312, while Mike MacDougal is second with 288.
• Dunshee also jumped into a tie for fourth all-time with 25 victories, matching Scott Siemon and Mike MacDougal's total.
RANKED SUCCESS
• The Demon Deacons have now claimed four of the last five games against ranked foes. Wake Forest has taken down No. 2 Louisville, took two-of-three from then-No. 20 NC State, and also won at then-No. 18 Coastal Carolina.
• The victory was Wake Forest's first against a top-two team since taking a series from No. 1 Virginia at the end of the 2014 season. The Deacs' only other game against a top-two team in that span was a loss at No. 2 Texas A&M last year.
ON DECK
• Wake Forest looks to claim its fifth-straight ACC series to start the year on Saturday, as game two of the series is set for 1 p.m.
