Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Forest University
UT-Martin (Indiana State Tournament)
Five-Run Ninth Pushes Deacs Past Tennessee-Martin
3/11/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 11, 2004
MILLINGTON, TN-- The Wake Forest baseball team scored five times in its final at-bat to come from behind and defeat Tennessee-Martin, 5-1 in the opening game of the Easton USA Challenge Thursday afternoon at USA Baseball Stadium. With the victory, the Demon Deacons improve to 8-5 while the Skyhawks fall to 4-9. Wake Forest was led by junior starting pitcher Tim Morley who threw seven scoreless innings but did not figure in the decision. Matt Miller was the Deacs' top hitter on the day, going 3-for-4, including his second home run of the season.
Both teams struggled to find any offense throughout most of the game. Wake Forest starting pitcher Morley scattered eight hits through seven innings but Tennessee-Martin freshman starter Ben Meador was just as impressive. Meador allowed just four hits over 6.1 innings without walking a batter and had two strikeouts before leaving the game with an injury. Morley also finished his outing for the Deacs without issuing a base on balls.
Tennessee-Martin got on the board first with a run in the bottom of the eighth inning. Wake Forest reliever Charlie Mellies was greeted rudely by the first two batters he faced, allowing consecutive doubles to the Skyhawks' Adam Salter and Brett Spivey. Salter led off the inning with a two-bagger down the right field line and Spivey followed with his first hit of the game, an RBI double into the left-center field gap which gave UT-Martin the first lead of the game.
Trailing 1-0 in the top of the ninth, the Deacs were finally able to produce some offense which had escaped them through the first eight innings. Matt Antonelli led the inning off with a single and took second base when Tennessee-Martin's center fielder Hunter Hart bobbled the ball. A single through the left side by second baseman Brad Scioletti tied the game at one and Steve LeFaivre tripled home Scioletti with the game-winning run two batters later. Wake Forest would go on to add three more insurance runs thanks to an RBI infield single by Doug Riepe and two-run home run down the right field line by Miller.
The Deacs return to action Friday at 12 pm when they take on Missouri at USA Baseball Stadium. Justin Keadle (0-2, 6.23 ERA) will take the mound for Wake Forest in search of his first victory as a Demon Deacon.
