Wake Forest University
Clemson
Wake Forest Splits Doubleheader With Clemson
3/9/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 9, 2008
Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Wake Forest earned its first series defeat of Clemson since 1999 with a doubleheader split against the Tigers Sunday afternoon at Hooks Stadium.
The Demon Deacons took the first game on Sunday, 5-3, before falling 12-11 in game two. Clemson rallied back from an 11-4 deficit to stave off the series sweep.
Wake Forest now stands at 7-5 overall and 2-1 in the ACC. Clemson moves to 7-4 overall and 1-2 in conference play.
Game 1 Recap
Wake Forest took a 1-0 lead in the third inning. Steven Brooks was walked and sacrificed to second by Andy Goff. Ben Terry grounded out to first as Brooks advanced to third and then scored on a passed ball.
Clemson tied the game in the fifth when John Nester led off the frame with a single. After being sacrificed to second, he moved to third on an infield out by Matt Sanders and scored on an infield throwing error by Allan Dykstra.
The Deacons broke the tie with four runs in the sixth inning. With one out, Brett Linnenkohl drew a walk and then stole second and third on consecutive pitches. After a walk to Willy Fox to put runners on the corners, Dykstra singled to right to drive in Linnenkohl. Catcher Mike Murray followed with a double to right-center that scored Fox and Dykstra and gave the Deacons a 4-1 lead. After Austin Jones pinch-ran for Murray, Evan Ocheltree singled to right to drive in Jones for a 5-1 Wake Forest advantage.
The Tigers rallied in the eighth. With one out, Doug Hogan reached on an error and Bullock walked Kyle Parker. Reliever Alex Wiesner came on and retired Jeff Schaus on a fly ball. The Deacons then summoned Brad Kledzik to close the game.
J.D. Burgess singled to score Hogan and pinch-hitter Chris Epps singled to drive in Parker. Kledzik then induced an infield ground out from Alex Lee to escape the inning.
In the ninth, Kledzik set the Tigers down in order to earn his second save in as many games.
Bullock improved to 2-0 with the win, working seven and one-third innings and scattering five hits while walking two and striking out six.
Clemson starter D.J. Mitchell (1-2) went five and two-thirds innings and allowed just three hits to go with five strikeouts in the loss.
Offensively, Dustin Hood led the Deacons with two of their five hits, while Murray drove in two runs.
Game 2 Recap
Wake Forest scored 11 runs over the first five innings, building an early 11-4 lead. However, Clemson rallied for one run in the sixth, three in the eighth and fourth in the ninth to stun the Deacons.
Fox put the Deacons on the board first with a solo home run in the first. Fox hit a two-out shot just in front of the scoreboard in left center for his first homer of the season.
Clemson responded with three runs in the top of the second. After Ben Paulsen reached on a leadoff error, Jeff Schaus and Kyle Parker followed with back-to-back doubles down the leftfield line, with Parker's hit scoring two. Two batters later, Mike Freeman drove in the third run with a single to right.
The Tigers' lead was short-lived, however, as the Deacons scored four in their half of the second. Ian Tomkins led off by reaching on an error, and one batter later Goff hit a single through the left side. Ben Terry loaded the bases with a perfectly-placed bunt single to first.
Brooks drove in the first run of the inning without swinging the bat, drawing a bases-loaded walk. Fox followed with a two-run single through the left side. After Dykstra singled to load the bases again, Brett Linnenkohl capped the rally with a sacrifice fly, giving the Deacs a 5-3 lead.
After a scoreless third, Clemson got one back in the fourth. Parker lofted a one-out solo home run to right. The Tigers continued to threaten, putting two on with two out, but Charlie Mellies got Stan Widmann to fly out to the warning track in left to end the inning.
The Deacs pushed their lead to 10-4 with five runs in the bottom of the fourth, all coming with two outs. Fox reached on a one-out walk, and one out later Linnenkohl was hit by a pitch. Hood drove in Fox, who was running on the play, with a sharp single to right. Tomkins followed with a single to score Linnenkohl.
Ocheltree grounded a single up the middle to score Hood. Tomkins also scored on the play when Tigers second baseman J.D. Burgess threw the ball away trying to get Tomkins at third. Goff greeted reliever Craig Gullickson with a double down the leftfield line to plate Ocheltree and give Wake a six-run margin.
Wake Forest added another run in the fifth. Dykstra and Linnenkohl reached on two-out walks, and Hood followed with a single through the left side to score Dykstra.
Clemson got the run back in the top of the sixth. Parker hit his second homer of the game, putting a 1-0 pitch from Mellies into the trees in leftfield.
The Tigers cut the deficit in half with three runs off relievers Joel Ernst and Ryan McGrath in the eighth. With two on and one out, Ernst looked to be out of the inning unscathed with a double-play ball up the middle. However, Wake mishandled the ball allowing Clemson to load the bases. The Tigers proceeded to score three runs before McGrath was able to end the inning on a deep flyout to center.
Clemson completed the comeback with four runs in the top of the ninth. McGrath walked Paulsen to start the frame, and on came closer Brad Kledzik. After a walk to Schaus, Parker launched his third home run of the day over the trees in leftfield.
Burgess followed with a single and eventually scored the winning run on a single from Widmann.
The Deacons threatened against Clemson closer Matt Vaughn in the bottom of the ninth but came up empty. Terry and Fox reached on walks, bringing Dykstra to the plate. However, Vaughn got Dykstra to fly out to deep center for the third out of the frame.
Vaughn picked up his fourth save of the season with the scoreless ninth.
Reliever Trent Rothlin (1-0) earned the win for Clemson. Rothlin pitched a scoreless eighth.
Kledzik (0-1) took the loss for the Deacons, giving up three runs on three hits in an inning of work.
Starter Charlie Mellies went seven innings in the no-decision, allowing five runs, four of which were earned. The righthander scattered 10 hits, struck out five and walked just one.
Clemson starter Matt Zoltak lasted just 3 2/3 innings and allowed 10 runs, eight earned, on nine hits with three strikeouts and three walks.
Fox led the Deacs at the plate, going 2-for-4 with three RBIs, two runs and a homer. Hood was 2-for-5 with two RBIs and a run. Linnenkohl finished 0-for-0 but reached base four times on two walks and two HBPs. Dykstra and Goff each had two hits on the day.
Wake Forest returns to action with a pair of in-state non-conference games during the midweek. The Deacons will play at High Point on Tuesday at 7 p.m. before hosting Charlotte on Wednesday at 3 p.m. Wake will host ACC-rival Maryland next weekend for a three-game series at Hooks Stadium.
