Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Forest Baseball Game Suspended
5/14/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 14, 2011
Wake Forest holds a 6-5 lead over Duke heading into the bottom of the 10th inning in a game suspended by rain, lightning and hail on Saturday afternoon at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
The game will be resumed at noon on Sunday and will be followed by the regularly scheduled final game of the three game series between the Demon Deacons and Blue Devils.
Wake Forest had a 5-1 lead with two outs in the bottom of the ninth as starter Tim Cooney was cruising towards his fourth consecutive victory. But Duke erupted for four runs with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game and force extra innings.
In the top of the 10th, designated hitter Carlos Lopez blasted a solo homer to left with one out to put the Deacons in front 6-5. After Wake Forest was retired, the game was halted as lightning had moved to within eight miles of the ballpark. Moments later, a torrential downpour accompanied by hail encompassed the field for 30 minutes. The game was suspended and will be picked up with Duke heading to the plate in the bottom of the tenth.
Cooney got off to a slow start as Jeff Kremer led off the game with a single, was sacrificed to second and scored on a double by Will Piwnica-worms.
A sterling defensive play by Wake second baseman Conor Keniry saved two runs in the second. With runners on second and third and two outs, Kremer sent a ground ball up the middle that Keniry backhanded and tossed to first to end the threat.
Wake Forest took its first lead in the third when Brett Armour and Pat Blair drew walks from Dennis O'Grady. Keniry then drove a pitch to the wall in left-center for a two-run double. After a walk to Steven Brooks to load the bases, Mac Williamson followed with a sacrifice fly to right before Lopez plated Wake's fourth run of the inning with a towering sac fly to left.
The Deacons increased the lead to 5-1 when Blair hit a solo shot to left with two outs in the fourth. It was his third homer of the season.
Keniry made another nice defensive play, robbing Matt Berezo of a base hit leading off the seventh when he turned a short-hop liner into a routine ground out.
Duke rallied to tie the game with four runs on five hits in the bottom of the ninth. Cooney was relieved with two on and two outs after giving up a single to Kremer. Reliever Michael Dimock, who had retired 17 of the last 18 batters he had faced over his previous three appearances, yielded a walk to pinch-hitter Mark Tatera to load the bases. Chris Marconcini followed with a two-run single and Piwnica-Worms then hit a two-run double off the wall in left to tie the game at 5.
The Deacons regained the lead in the 10th when Lopez blasted a homer deep to left-center to put the Deacons ahead 6-5. Lopez's team-leading 10th home run of the season left the ballpark and bounced off the facing of a four-story building behind the leftfield wall.
Cooney went eight and 2/3 innings, scattering nine hits and allowing three runs, all earned. He struckout six and did not allow a walk while throwing just 103 pitches.
Duke starter Dennis O'Grady went seven innings allowing five runs on four hits and five walks, while striking out eight. Ben Grisz, who entered in relief in the eighth inning, pitched three innings allowing one run on four hits and two walks, while striking out four.
