Wake Forest University
Seton Hall
Wake Forest Wins Opening Game Of NCAA Regional
5/26/2000 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 26, 2000
COLUMBIA, SC - (AP) Cory Sullivan had three hits and drove in three runs while teammates Jason Aquilante, Corey Slavik and Chase Voshell added two hits each pacing second-seeded Wake Forest to an 8-3 win over third-seeded Seton Hall in first round NCAA Baseball Regional action before 1,324 at Sarge Frye Field.
Wake Forest, which won its NCAA tournament opener for the third year in row, improved its record to 40-18-1. Seton Hall, making its first NCAA appearance in 13 years, fell to 40-17.
Wake Forest advances into the tournament's winners bracket and will take on the winner of the Liberty/South Carolina game at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday. The Pirates will take on the loser at 11:00 a.m. in an elimination game.
Scott Siemon (11-2) was the starter and winner for Wake Forest surrendering three runs on nine hits over 7 1/3 innings. He walked two and struck out two. Damon Ponce de Leon (10-3) was the starter and loser for Seton Hall allowing six runs, four earned, on seven hits in 2 2/3 innings of work. He walked one and struck out two.
The Deacons opened the scoring in the bottom of the first when Sullivan lined Ponce de Leon's second pitch of the game for a home run to right field, his eighth of the season. Aquilante followed with an infield single and moved to second when Voshell reached on an error. Danny Borrell followed with a single to center scoring Aquilante and Voshell scored one out later on Matt Price's grounder to second for a 3-0 Deamon Deacons lead.
Wake Forest stretched it lead to 4-0 in the second inning. With one out Sullivan singled to right, stole second and scored on a single to left by Voshell.
The Pirates scored a pair of runs in the top of the third. Joe Cuervo singled with two outs, stole second and raced home when Tony Calabrese singled to center. Calabrese moved to second on an infield hit by Casey Grimm, and scored from second when Ray Navarrette singled to shallow center cutting the margin to 4-2.
Corey Slavik and Sullivan had run scoring singles in the bottom of the third extending the Wake Forest lead to 6-2.
Cuervo doubled with one out in the fifth, and following a infield hit by Calabrese, scored when Grimm bounced into a fielder's choice making it a 6-3 game.
The Deamon Deacons got a sacrifice fly from Sullivan in the fifth and an RBI single by Jamie Athas in the sixth for the final margin.
