Wake Forest University
Georgia Tech (ACC Tourney)
Ninth-Inning Deacon Rally Falls Short
5/22/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 22, 2003
Salem, Va. -- The Wake Forest baseball team lost its opening game in the 2003 ACC Baseball Tournament, 9-8, to Georgia Tech on Thursday evening in Salem, Va.
The Deacons fell behind 6-0 after three innings thanks to three defensive errors. The Jackets scored five unearned runs in the third inning but Wake Forest slowly mounted a comeback
In the fourth, Ben Ingold singled home Jeff Ruziecki. Ryan Johnson's blasted his ninth home run of the year, a two-run shot in the fifth inning, cutting the lead to 7-3.
Jamie D'Antona and Steve LeFaivre had RBI singles in the seventh to make it 8-5. The Jackets pushed across what seemed to be a harmless run in the bottom of the eighth inning on Matt Murton's RBI double.
But the Deacons made one final push in the top of the ninth. Ryan Hubbard led off with a single. After a flyout, Jamie D'Antona reached on a fielding error. Ruziecki singled to load the bases.
With one out, LeFaivre smashed a line drive up the middle, off the foot of Jacket reliever Brian Burks. He got the force out at home for the second out.
But the bases remained loaded for Ben Ingold. He singled to center field to score two runs. Chris Getz followed with a single to slice the lead to 9-8 but pinch hitter Brad Scioletti flied out to end the game.
It is the first time since 1997 that Wake Forest has lost its first game of the ACC Tournament.
Ruziecki and Ingold each had four hits for the Deacons to tie career-highs.
Kyle Sleeth took the loss for Wake Forest to fall to 7-3 on the year. With eight innings and five strikeouts tonight, Kyle Sleeth moved into fourth place in Wake Forest history with 271 strikeouts and 293 innings.
Micah Owings got the win to improve to 9-2 on the year, his second victory against Wake Forest this year. Burks got the save.
Jamie D'Antona picked up his 240th career RBI with a single in the 7th inning. He is one away from tying Jon Palmieri for the school's all-time RBI mark. He ranks 7th all-time in Atlantic Coast Conference history.
The Deacons now need to win five games to win the ACC Tournament. Their quest begins on Friday at 1:30 p.m. against the loser of Thursday's NC State-Virginia game.
