Wake Forest University
North Carolina
Deacons Drop Series Opener to UNC, 9-7
4/2/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 2, 2004
Winston-Salem, N.C. - Wake Forest allowed five runs in the first inning and ninth-ranked North Carolina held on the rest of the game as the Deacons fell to the Tar Heels 9-7 in the series opener at Hooks Stadium on a cold, gusty Friday afternoon.
In the first, North Carolina put its first three runners on base before Marshall Hubbard's grand slam, his tenth homer of the season, gave the Tar Heels an early cushion.
Wake Forest spent the rest of the game playing catch up and scored in five different innings. The Deacons scored two in the first thanks to RBI singles by Steve LeFaivre and Brad Scioletti. J.B. Tucker blasted a two-run homer to right field in the fifth inning. Wake Forest scored single runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings to pull within striking distance. But North Carolina reliever Michael Gross pitched two scoreless innings of relief to earn his second save.
The Deacons weren't without additional scoring opportunities. Wake Forest stranded 12 runners for the game including seven in scoring position. Trailing 9-6 in the seventh inning, the Deacons left the bases loaded.
North Carolina's Daniel Bard remained unbeaten on the season, improving to 5-0. However, the Deacons did score six runs against the Tar Heel starter, the most runs he had allowed in seven starts this season.
Tim Morley (2-3) took the loss for the Deacons, allowing five runs through one inning, on five hits and one walk.
Freshman Charlie Mellies was excellent out of the bullpen for Wake Forest. He threw three innings of no-hit relief with a pair of strikeouts.
Offensively, Wake Forest was led by LeFaivre's three-hit perforamnce. Scioletti and Ben Ingold had two hits apiece. Tucker's home run was his fourth of the season.
The loss snapped Wake Forest's seven-game winning streak against North Carolina at Hooks Stadium. The Tar Heels' last win at Wake Forest's on-campus facility came in 1998.
The Deacons have dropped seven straight games for the first time since 1988. Wake Forest looks to break that skid on Saturday afternoon at Hooks Stadium when junior right-hander Justin Keadle gets the start for the Demon Deacons. First pitch is set for 1:30 p.m. and the game can be heard live on 98.1 WBRF.
