Wake Forest University
North Carolina
Deacs Fall 4-0 to No. 1 North Carolina in ACC Opener
3/8/2013 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 8, 2013
Final Stats | Final Stats
| Season Stats
By Steven Wright, Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeBaseball)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Wake Forest began the ACC season with a 4-0 loss to No. 1 North Carolina, as Kent Emanuel earned a complete-game shutout for the Tar Heels on Friday night at Gene Hooks Field at Wake Forest Baseball Park.
The Demon Deacons drop to 9-6 overall and 0-1 in conference play, and North Carolina remains unbeaten on the year at 12-0 (1-0).
Austin Stadler, Mark McCoy and Christian Bartholomew kept Wake Forest in the game by allowing just four hits and two earned runs on the night. Stadler suffered his first loss of the season to move to 3-1 after pitching 6.0 innings, giving up four hits and striking out three. McCoy did not allow a hit in 2.1 innings, and Bartholomew retired both batters he faced.
Emanuel (3-0) finished the night by striking out seven, walking three and giving up five hits.
Brett Armour and Pat Blair helped Wake Forest outhit North Carolina on the night 5-4, as both players collected two hits. Armour was 2-for-4 on the day, while Blair went 2-for-3 with a walk. Mark Rhine picked up the Deacons' only other hit and went 1-for-3.
Stadler started off the game with a 1-2-3 first inning and the Deacs had a chance to jump on top early after Armour doubled and Blair singled to put runners on the corners with one out. Emanuel then induced an inning-ending double play to keep the zero on the board.
The Tar Heels scored a run in the top of the second inning on a bases-loaded single by Mike Zolk, but the Deacs again had a chance in the bottom half of the inning that was thwarted by a double play. Jack Carey led off the second with a walk before a fly ball and a double play left the score 1-0.
Skye Bolt hit a home run to right field in the third that barely crept over after hitting the top of the wall, and Tar Heels added two unearned runs in the top of the sixth to make the game 4-0.
Wake Forest had its final chance in the bottom of the ninth when Armour and Blair led off the inning with back-to-back singles. They moved to second and third on a ground-ball out by Matt Conway, but Emanuel recorded consecutive strikeouts to finish the complete-game shutout.
Wake Forest and North Carolina will be back in action tomorrow at 4 p.m. for Game 2 of the series at Gene Hooks Field at Wake Forest Baseball Park.
