Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Forest University
South Alabama
Wake Forest Baseball Loses At South Alabama, 4-2
2/18/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 18, 2005
MOBILE, Ala. - The Wake Forest baseball team dropped its third straight game wasting a tremendous pitching performance from senior Tim Morley in a 4-2 defeat to South Alabama Friday night in opening night action from the 2005 Coca-Cola Classic.
Morley (0-2) was outstanding. The southpaw went 7.1 innings and allowed just three earned runs. Morley struckout six and did not walk a single batter. The six strikeouts are the most for Morley since March 22, 2003 in a start against North Carolina. The start is also the first for Morley in which he fanned five or more without issuing a walk in his career.
Down a pair of runs in the top of the eighth inning, senior shortstop Ben Ingold led off the inning with a single. After senior designated hitter J.B. Tucker struck out, senior first basemen Ryder Mathias flew out which advanced Ingold to third. Junior catcher Dan Rosaia then laced a sure base hit, but South Alabama shortstop Guillermo Martinez made a leaping catch to end the threat.
The leaping catch from Martinez in the eighth inning proved to save the game as the Deacs went 1-2-3 in the ninth inning.
For the fifth straight game, the Demon Deacons (1-4) fell behind early. South Alabama (2-2) grabbed an early lead in the bottom of the first inning. Jaguars' lead-off hitter Tyler Jones drilled an 0-2 pitch deep into right-center field for a triple. Jones then came around on Guillermo Martinez's one-out sacrifice fly.
The Deacs drew even in the top of the fourth inning. Senior catcher J.B. Tucker belted a lead-off, solo home run deep over the scoreboard in left-center field. The bomb was Wake's first of the season and Tucker's sixth of his career.
South Alabama regained the lead with two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Michael Carte led off the inning with a lead-off single. Ingold made a great play running to his left, but Mathias was not able to dig the throw out of the dirt. Aaron George followed with a double to right field, but freshman Brett Linnenkohl's throw got away from the cut-off man which allowed Carte to score and George to reach third base. After Morley retired a Jaguar on a pop fly out, Joel Collins singled back up the middle with the infield in to give South Alabama a 3-2 lead. The Jaguars then loaded the bases with two outs after Ingold booted a ground ball, but freshman second basemen Andy Goff saved two runs with an incredible diving catch on a liner to end the inning.
The Demon Deacons made it 3-2 in the top of the sixth inning with another solo home run, this time off the bat of Mathias. The first basemen hammered a 2-2 pitch down the left-field line, just inside the foul pole. The blast was Mathias' ninth of his career.
The Jaguars added an unearned insurance run in the bottom of the seventh inning to make the Demon Deacons deficit two runs, 4-2.
Seven Deacs picked up hits on the evening.
The Demon Deacons return to action this weekend at the 20th annual Coca-Cola Classic on Saturday against Jacksonville at 4:30 p.m. Sophomore Josh Ellis will take the mound for Wake Forest.
-- WakeForestSports.com --
