Wake Forest University
Charlotte
Wake Forest Baseball Splits Doubleheader with Charlotte
2/12/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 12, 2006
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Wake Forest freshman Dustin Hood went 5-for-5 and junior Brian Shust added a three-run home run to help the Demon Deacons salvage the second game of their season-opening doubleheader with Charlotte, 9-8, Sunday afternoon. The 49ers captured the first game of the twin bill, 11-2.
The Wake Forest bats finally awoke in the top of the third inning. Shust provided the key hit with a three-run home run to centerfield. Junior Matt Antonelli followed with a solo blast and redshirt sophomore Eric Williams also added an RBI single in the five-run outburst.
After the 49ers narrowed the gap to 5-1, the Demon Deacons pushed its lead to 6-1 on redshirt junior Brendan Enick's RBI double.
Demon Deacon starter Charlie Mellies, who cruised through the first four innings, ran into a little bit of control trouble in the fifth and was also victimized by a couple of crucial errors. Alan Parks led off the inning with a walk and Alex Burt walked following an Aaron Bray strikeout. With runners at first and second and one out, Cory Lane singled to load the bases. Mellies then got O'Brien Taylor to ground to shortstop, but Hood's throw to second base was errant. The miscue not only allowed Lane to reach second, but also allowed Burt to score from second base. Trailing 6-3, Charlotte plated another run when Shust mishandled a fly ball off the bat of Mike Ambrose. Spencer Steedley followed with a RBI single and Chris Taylor tied the game, 6-6, with a sacrifice fly.
The Deacons regained the lead, 7-6, in the top of the sixth inning on Hood's RBI double. Wake Forest added an insurance run in the top of the seventh inning in large part to a pair of Charlotte errors. After Allan Dykstra singled, he advanced to second when Charlotte reliever Sam Pierce threw the ball away in a failed pickoff attempt. After Pierce struck out Enick, junior Casey Sterk reached on an Ambrose error allowing Dykstra to score.
The 49ers drew within a run, 8-7, in the bottom of the eighth inning, but Wake Forest closer Ben Hunter got the Deacons out of a bases loaded jam. With a run already in for Charlotte and just one out, Hunter quickly fanned Burt on four pitches and then got Lane to foul out on the first pitch to end the threat.
After Wake Forest added another unearned insurance run in the top of the ninth inning, the 49ers made some noise in the bottom of the ninth inning. After Hunter struck out the first two Charlotte batters, Steedley walked and Taylor singled. Hunter then induced a routine ground ball that slipped underneath Andy Goff's glove allowing Steedley to score. Hunter was able to evade any more damage and register his first career save.
Mellies (1-0) worked 5.0 innings and allowed six runs, only two earned, on six hits. Mellies struck out five and walked a pair in the victorious effort. Senior Kyle Young tossed the next 2.0 innings and allowed an earned run on two hits. He fanned three and walked one.
Hunter went 1.2 innings, allowed one unearned run on one hit and fanned three. Hood, who spearheaded the Deacon attack all afternoon with seven hits in the doubleheader, added two RBI and a run scored in the night cap. Dykstra and Enick each added a pair of hits and catcher Austin Jones scored three runs.
Game 1
Charlotte starting pitcher Adam Mills tossed 6.0 solid innings to lead the 49ers past Wake Forest, 11-2, in the first game of a scheduled doubleheader Sunday afternoon.
The Demon Deacons got on the board in the top of the third inning. Hood opened his Wake Forest career with a two-out single. After Williams walked, Shust laced an RBI single tying the score at 1-1.
The 49ers regained the lead, 2-1, in the bottom of the third inning on Ambrose's RBI single and increased its lead with a four-run fifth inning. After Deacon starter Josh Ellis retired the first two Charlotte batters, the 49ers used four consecutive hits, including back-to-back doubles from Steedley and Taylor, to grab a 6-1 lead. Charlotte added four more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to blow it wide open.
Ellis (0-1) was not able to get through the fifth inning. The junior right-hander went 4.2 innings and allowed six earned runs on eight hits. He struck out four and walked a pair. Freshmen Garrett Bullock and Brad Kledzik each made their Demon Deacon debuts out of the bullpen. Bullock went 2.1 innings and allowed four runs, two earned, on five hits with a pair of walks. Kledzik tossed 1.0 inning and gave up one earned run on a pair of hits.
Mills (1-0) allowed just one earned on four hits. The junior fanned four and walked three. B.J. Hagen tossed the final 3.0 innings to record a save. Hagen yielded a pair of hits and one unearned run in the outing.
Shust and Hood each registered a pair of hits for Wake Forest. Shust went 2-for-4 with an RBI and run scored, while Hood went 2-for-3 with a run scored. Dykstra drove in the Deacons second run with a sacrifice fly.
The Demon Deacons return to action next weekend with a three-game series at UNC Wilmington. First pitch for the series opener on Friday is scheduled for 3 p.m., while both Saturday and Sunday will each start at 2 p.m.
