Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Forest University
Duke
Deacons Drill Duke 11-1
3/28/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 28, 2003
Winston-Salem, N.C. -- In front of more than 1,800 fans at Hooks Stadium on Friday afternoon, the Wake Forest baseball team defeated Duke 11-1. Junior Kyle Sleeth allowed just one run on seven hits with a career-high 13 strikeouts to pick up his 26th consecutive victory to tie the NCAA record.
Sleeth and the Deacons trailed 1-0 after Brian Patrick's solo homer in the first inning that bounced off the top of the wall. After that, it was smooth sailing for Sleeth who allowed just two runners into scoring position after the first. Sleeth fanned his tenth Duke batter in the sixth inning to tie a season-high.
The Deacons captured their first lead in the third inning. Ryan Johnson's RBI single scored Adam Bourassa to tie the game before Jamie D'Antona and Jeff Ruziecki hit back-to-back sacrifice flies to make it 3-1.
The remaining eight Wake Forest runs scored on home runs. In the fourth, Johnson's three-run homer made it 6-1. In the sixth, D'Antona's two-run homer made it 8-1. Steve LeFaivre capped the scoring with a three-run blast in the eighth for the game's final runs.
After a perfect 4-for-4 night on Wednesday, Johnson went 3-for-4 against Duke with a home run and four RBI. When he rolled out to shortstop in the sixth inning, it snapped a streak of seven straight hits for Johnson whose average climbed to an ACC best .474.
D'Antona was 2-for-4 with a home run and three driven in. The junior third baseman continues his offensive rampage in the month of March. D'Antona is hitting .444 with eight home runs and 34 RBI since March 1.
Freshman second baseman Chris Getz also had three hits for the Deacons to tie a career-high.
Sleeth's 13 strikeouts were the most by a Deacon since 2000. Daniel Davidson pitched the ninth for Wake Forest with a strikeout and a walk.
For Duke, Tim Layden and Troy Caradonna had two hits each.
Wake Forest is 11 games over .500 for the first time this year and improves to 5-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Deacons and Blue Devils will continue their weekend series on Saturday night at Ernie Shore Field at 6:00 p.m. Sophomore lefty Tim Morley will start for Wake Forest.
