Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Forest University
No Carolina St
Wolfpack Edges Deacons, 5-4
3/22/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
The 8th-ranked Wake Forest baseball team dropped a 5-4 heartbreaker to NC State on Friday afternoon at a chilly Doak Field in Raleigh. The Wolfpack scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth with two outs, on an error.
In a game that saw three ties and three lead changes, NC State took advantage of having the final at-bat. In the ninth inning with one out, David Hicks doubled to center field and was lifted for a pinch runner. Two batters later with two out, Colt Morton bounced Dave Bush's pitch to third base where Jamie D'Antona didn't field the ball cleanly and hurried a throw to first base that Jeff Ruziecki couldn't handle as the winning run scored, unearned.
Bush (2-1) took the loss as the Deacons dropped consecutive games for the first time this season. Wake Forest fell to 17-4 overall, 2-1 in the ACC. Mike Prochaska got the win for the Wolfpack as NC State improved to 18-5, 1-0 in the conference.
Adam Bourassa had three hits in the leadoff spot while Ryan Hubbard went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer in the second inning.
In a 4-4 tie in the eighth inning, the Wolfpack had a golden opportunity to take the lead with runners on second and third with just one out. Bush got Chad Orvella to fly out to right field. Steve LeFaivre came up throwing and fired a strike to Stephen Ghutzman who applied the tag for the third out, ending the threat.
Trailing 4-3 after seven innings, Deacons came back with two outs in the eighth inning to tie on Bourassa's RBI triple.
The Wolfpack got out of the gates quickly with a pair of runs in the first inning. Wake Forest wasted no time in responding, however, on Hubbard's two-run, two-out home run. The Deacons tacked on another in the fourth on Nick Blue's sacrifice fly.
Kyle Sleeth started but did not factor in the decision, allowing three runs in six innings with seven strikeouts.
The Deacons and the Wolfpack will continue their weekend series on Saturday at Doak Field. Tim Morley will take the hill for Wake Forest. First pitch is set for 2:00 p.m.
