Demon Deacon pitchers combined to four-hit the Eagles, as Wake Forest improves to 32-14 this season.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- No. 17 Wake Forest clinched its sixth ACC series of the year, beating Boston College, 5-2, in the rubber game on Sunday at David F. Couch Ballpark.
Connor Johnstone improved to 7-0 after another strong start, allowing two runs on three hits with four strikeouts over 6.2 innings of work. Griffin Roberts earned his fifth save with 2.1 scoreless innings in relief, striking out four.
The Demon Deacons (32-14, 15-9 ACC) limited the Eagles (19-26, 8-19 ACC) to just 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position as Boston College stranded 12 runners. Wake Forest went 2-for-7 with RISP.
Offensively, Jake Mueller (two doubles) and Stuart Fairchild (2-for-3, two RBIs, two stolen bases) led the way for Wake Forest.
Boston College's best opportunity came in the second inning. The Eagles loaded the bases with nobody out, but Keegan Maronpot made a diving catch in shallow right field, then Johnstone forced a strikeout and lineout to keep the Eagles off the board.
Meanwhile, Wake Forest plated its first run the next half inning. Johnny Aiello singled, advanced to second on a wild pitch, stole third and scored on an error to make the score 1-0.
In the third, Jonathan Pryor hit the first pitch of the inning over the right-center wall for his fourth homer of the year. Then Fairchild singled and stole second, scoring on a Ben Breazeale double to push the lead to 3-2.
Mueller doubled and scored on a Fairchild RBI single in the fifth to increase the advantage to 4-0 before the Eagles got on the board in the seventh.
Boston College took advantage of three walks, a hit by pitch, a single and an error to cut the deficit in half, but Roberts forced an inning-ending groundout as the Eagles left the bases loaded again.
Wake Forest added an insurance run in the bottom of the inning on a Fairchild sacrifice fly.
After striking out the side in the eighth, Roberts struggled with his command in the ninth. He walked the bases loaded to put the potential tying run on base, but Roberts got a swinging strikeout to end the game.
TICKET PUNCHED
• Wake Forest officially clinched a trip to the ACC Baseball Championship with Sunday's victory.
• With 15 ACC wins and six ACC games remaining for the Demon Deacons, Wake Forest will finish in front of at least Boston College (8-18, three remaining), Duke via tiebreak (9-15, six remaining), Georgia Tech via tiebreak (7-15, eight remaining), Notre Dame (10-17, three remaining) and Virginia Tech (8-16, six remaining). The top 12 teams make the tournament.
SUNDAY SUCCESS
• Wake Forest has headed into the Sunday game with the series tied 1-1 seven times this season.
• The Demon Deacons clinched the series with a Sunday victory six times in seven tries: Southern Cal, NC State, Duke, Georgia Tech, Miami and Boston College. The only loss was at No. 2 Louisville.
ON DECK
• The Demon Deacons have a pair of midweek games, playing host to High Point on Tuesday before traveling to Radford on Wednesday.
• Wake Forest then heads to Tallahassee over the weekend for a series at Florida State.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- No. 17 Wake Forest clinched its sixth ACC series of the year, beating Boston College, 5-2, in the rubber game on Sunday at David F. Couch Ballpark.
Connor Johnstone improved to 7-0 after another strong start, allowing two runs on three hits with four strikeouts over 6.2 innings of work. Griffin Roberts earned his fifth save with 2.1 scoreless innings in relief, striking out four.
The Demon Deacons (32-14, 15-9 ACC) limited the Eagles (19-26, 8-19 ACC) to just 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position as Boston College stranded 12 runners. Wake Forest went 2-for-7 with RISP.
Offensively, Jake Mueller (two doubles) and Stuart Fairchild (2-for-3, two RBIs, two stolen bases) led the way for Wake Forest.
Boston College's best opportunity came in the second inning. The Eagles loaded the bases with nobody out, but Keegan Maronpot made a diving catch in shallow right field, then Johnstone forced a strikeout and lineout to keep the Eagles off the board.
Meanwhile, Wake Forest plated its first run the next half inning. Johnny Aiello singled, advanced to second on a wild pitch, stole third and scored on an error to make the score 1-0.
In the third, Jonathan Pryor hit the first pitch of the inning over the right-center wall for his fourth homer of the year. Then Fairchild singled and stole second, scoring on a Ben Breazeale double to push the lead to 3-2.
Mueller doubled and scored on a Fairchild RBI single in the fifth to increase the advantage to 4-0 before the Eagles got on the board in the seventh.
Boston College took advantage of three walks, a hit by pitch, a single and an error to cut the deficit in half, but Roberts forced an inning-ending groundout as the Eagles left the bases loaded again.
Wake Forest added an insurance run in the bottom of the inning on a Fairchild sacrifice fly.
After striking out the side in the eighth, Roberts struggled with his command in the ninth. He walked the bases loaded to put the potential tying run on base, but Roberts got a swinging strikeout to end the game.
TICKET PUNCHED
• Wake Forest officially clinched a trip to the ACC Baseball Championship with Sunday's victory.
• With 15 ACC wins and six ACC games remaining for the Demon Deacons, Wake Forest will finish in front of at least Boston College (8-18, three remaining), Duke via tiebreak (9-15, six remaining), Georgia Tech via tiebreak (7-15, eight remaining), Notre Dame (10-17, three remaining) and Virginia Tech (8-16, six remaining). The top 12 teams make the tournament.
SUNDAY SUCCESS
• Wake Forest has headed into the Sunday game with the series tied 1-1 seven times this season.
• The Demon Deacons clinched the series with a Sunday victory six times in seven tries: Southern Cal, NC State, Duke, Georgia Tech, Miami and Boston College. The only loss was at No. 2 Louisville.
ON DECK
• The Demon Deacons have a pair of midweek games, playing host to High Point on Tuesday before traveling to Radford on Wednesday.
• Wake Forest then heads to Tallahassee over the weekend for a series at Florida State.
