Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Forest University
Duke
Wake Forest Drops Series Opener at Duke, 3-1
3/28/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 28, 2009
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DURHAM, N.C. - Duke picked up its first defeat of Wake Forest in five seasons, snapping a 13-game losing streak in the series with a 3-1 victory on Saturday at Jack Coombs Field.
With the loss, the Demon Deacons drop to 11-11 overall and 1-9 in the ACC. The Blue Devils move to 17-7 overall and 6-4 in league play.
The win was Duke's first against Wake Forest since a 6-5 victory on April 11, 2004, in Durham. The Deacons had swept the season series with the Blue Devils every year from 2005-08.
Starter Christopher Manno and Duke made sure that didn't happen in 2009. Manno (2-3) held the Wake Forest offense in check to make three early runs stand up for the home squad. The lefty allowed one run on two hits in 6 1/3 innings, while striking out eight and walking two.
Manno's counterpart, Brad Kledzik, kept the Deacons in the game with a solid outing. Kledzik (1-4) went 5 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on eight hits. The senior righthander walked five and struck out four. After surrendering a run in the first, Kledzik settled in and held Duke scoreless until the fifth inning when the Blue Devils scored twice with two outs.
Dustin Hood led the Deacons at the plate, hitting his first home run of the season on a solo shot in the seventh.
Weldon Woodall went 2-for-4 on the day, while Evan Ocheltree and Tyler Smith each had a hit for Wake. However, the Deacons were never able to piece together a rally against the Blue Devils who jumped ahead early.
Duke took a 1-0 lead with a run in the first. After consecutive one-out walks to Matt Williams and Nate Freiman, Jeremy Gould laced a single up the middle to plate Williams with the first run of the game. The Blue Devils then loaded the bases, but Kledzik struck out Gabriel Saade on three pitches to end the threat.
Kledzik held Duke at bay each of the next three innings before the Blue Devils struck again with two runs in the fifth. Freiman reached on a leadoff walk and then moved to second on a fielder's choice. After a single off the bat of Jake Lemmerman put runners at the corners, Eric Phisterer hit a slow roller to shortstop Shane Kroker. Kroker tried to turn the double play, but Phisterer narrowly beat the throw to first, allowing Freiman to score.
Back-to-back two-out singles from Saade and Will Piwnica-Worms drove in Phisterer for the second run of the inning.
Wake Forest threatened in the sixth but came up empty. After Micah Jarrett reached on a one-out walk, Smith singled to rightfield for the Deacons' first hit of the game. However, Manno got out of the inning unscathed by picking Smith off first and then inducing an inning-ending flyout by Steven Brooks.
Duke chased Kledzik from the game in the sixth. After the Blue Devils drilled a pair of one-out singles up the middle, the Deacons went to freshman lefty Austin Stadler. Stadler immediately induced a fielder's choice for the second out, and then Mike Murray threw out Gould trying to steal second.
The Deacons got on the board with a run in the seventh. Dustin Hood pulled a 3-2 offering from Manno to leftfield for a solo home run, cutting the deficit to 3-1. Hood, who hit his first homer of the season and the third of his career, had tried to reach on a bunt earlier in the at-bat. Duke brought in righthander Dennis O'Grady to relieve Manno, and O'Grady got the Blue Devils out of the inning without another runner crossing the plate.
Wake Forest would not go quietly in the ninth, putting two on with two out against closer Alex Hassan. Hassan hit Carlos Lopez in the helmet, and Woodall followed with an infield single to the pitcher, who slipped when he set his feet to throw to first. However, Hassan got Mike Murray looking to strand the runners and end the game.
Hassan earned his sixth save of the season.
Stadler pitched well in relief for the Deacs, holding the Blue Devils scoreless over 2 2/3 innings. He allowed one hit while facing seven batters total.
Defensively, Murray and Kroker each made an exceptional play. Navigating Jack Coombs Field's spacious foul territory, Murray chased down a foul popup 20 yards behind home plate to retire Duke's first batter of the game. In the fourth inning, Kroker made a diving stop on a ground ball to his right and then threw from his knees to nail the runner at second.
Wake Forest and Duke will wrap up the weekend series with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. on Sunday. RHP Phil Negus (1-2, 7.06) will take the mound in Game 1 for the Deacons, while the Blue Devils will counter with RHP Andrew Wolcott (4-0, 1.27). Wake Forest's starting pitcher for Game 2 has yet to be determined. RHP Ryan Knott (2-0, 4.91) will start for Duke.
