Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Forest University
Virginia
Wake Forest Pounds Virginia, 14-3
4/19/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 19, 2008
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - Wake Forest got two homeruns from Tyler Smith, a three-run inside-the-park homerun from Allan Dykstra and eight strong innings from starter Charlie Mellies in a 14-3 victory over No. 16 Virginia Saturday night at Davenport Field.
The game was tied at two apiece heading into the top of the fourth inning.
Weldon Woodall and Dustin Hood led-off the inning with back-to-back walks. Smith followed with a shot to the left side of the infield that was corralled by Virginia shortstop Greg Miclat but his throw to second for the force out was off-target and rolled into right field, allowing Woodall to score.
Wake took a 4-2 lead moments later when Hood scored on a passed ball with Evan Ocheltree at the plate.
Trailing 5-2 in the top of the fourth after Smith scored on a Virginia error, the Cavaliers pulled starter Jacob Thompson and sent Matt Packer to face Dykstra.
Dykstra followed with a shot that bounced off the wall in deep right-center. The ball caromed off the wall and took a hard skip past both Cavalier outfielders. Rightfielder David Coleman gathered the ball as Dykstra, who was being waived home by Wake Forest head coach Rick Rembielak, was making the turn at third base.
The throw barely beat the lumbering Dykstra to the plate but Virginia catcher Franco Valdes couldn't control the ball as it bounced off his chest protector. Ben Terry and Willy Fox scored on the inside-the-park homerun to give the Deacs an 8-2 lead.
"I hit it well, it was going toward the gap and the umpire kind of gave a sign. I thought it was off the scoreboard and bounced back into play," Dykstra said. "So, I look back when I hit second and the next thing I know Coach is waiving his arm, I thought `Oh boy, here it goes.' I rounded third and he told me to get on my horse because the throw was coming."
The homerun was Dykstra's 10th on the season.
Mellies didn't need too much run support but Smith gave him a little more cushion.
Smith's first homerun of the game came an inning after Dykstra's off Cavalier reliever Jack Cowan. The solo shot landed in one of the two trees that overlook the right field fence.
Four batters later, following an Ocheltree single and Terry was hit by a pitch, Fox singled up the middle to score Ocheltree and give the Deacs a 10-2 lead.
Smith's second blast, a three-run homer in the top of the sixth inning, landed in the same tree as the first homerun except this time the ball entered about 20 feet higher.
"I haven't gotten in a rhythm yet this year," Smith said. "I got some inside fastballs today and I just turned on them."
Smith was 2 for 4 with four RBIs and three runs scored on the night.
Dykstra went 2 for 6 with four RBIs and one run scored.
Catcher Mike Murray extended his hit streak to 11 games and went 2 for 5 with one RBI.
Fox was 3 for 5 with two runs scored and two RBIs.
Mellies went eight innings, gave up three runs on six hits and struck out six Cavalier batters.
"The run support was huge. It's great to get the bats going again," Mellies said. "I had a shaky first inning, but seeing them the second time through, I knew I could turn it around. I had my good stuff when I needed it."
The Deacs outhit the Cavaliers 13-7 in the contest.
Wake and Virginia will meet in the rubber match Sunday at 1 p.m. in Charlottesville.
The Deacs will send right-hander Ben Hunter to the mound to face right-hander Andrew Carraway of Virginia.
