Wake Forest University
Virginia Tech
Homers Fuel Deacons in Doubleheader Split with VT
3/7/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
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| Game 2 Stats (PDF)
By Jay Garneau, Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeBaseball)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Home runs fueled Wake Forest in a doubleheader split against Virginia Tech to open ACC play at Gene Hooks Field at Wake Forest Baseball Park on Saturday.
The Demon Deacons (10-5, 1-1 ACC) blasted four home runs in the two games, including the first two grand slams since 2013 - one apiece from Will Craig and Joey Rodriguez.
After dropping the opener by a 12-7 score, Wake Forest rebounded to win the nightcap over Virginia Tech (7-7, 1-1 ACC), 14-5.
Nate Mondou and Gavin Sheets each added three-run bombs in the second game to give the Demon Deacons a lead they never relented.
Mondou finished the day 5-for-10 with a homer and seven RBIs, while Rodriguez went 6-for-10 with a homer, two doubles, four RBIs and five runs scored, also stealing a base.
Craig went 5-for-10 with three doubles and a bomb, totaling four RBIs, while Sheets, Justin Yurchak and Drew Freedman recorded multi-hit games in the Wake Forest win.
Virginia Tech 12, Wake Forest 7
Though Will Craig's opposite-field grand slam put the Deacons ahead 5-2 in the third inning, the Hokies responded by scoring nine straight runs to take command of the game.
After scoring one run in the fourth and two in the fifth to even the score at 5-5, Virginia Tech took advantage of a sloppy Wake Forest inning in which the Deacs walked three batters, hit another and committed an error. The Hokies scored four runs on just one hit to take a 9-5 lead.
The Hokies scored two more in the seventh to make it 11-5. Wake Forest chipped away with runs in the seventh and eighth, but the Hokies scored another in the ninth to put the game away.
Sean Keselica (2-1) earned the win for Virginia Tech, while Garrett Kelly (0-3) took the loss for Wake Forest. Parker Dunshee had his first rough outing, allowing his first five earned runs of the year.
Wake Forest pitchers walked 11 batters and hit two more in the losing effort.
Wake Forest 14, Virginia Tech 5
Brendon Hayden hit a first-inning three-run homer for the Hokies, but it was all Wake Forest after that.
Nate Mondou smacked his second homer of the season over the right-field wall in the third inning, bringing home Joey Rodriguez and Gavin Sheets to tie the ballgame at 3-3.
The Hokies hit an RBI single the next half-inning, but this time it was Sheets's turn to hit a go-ahead blast, as he cleared the right-field wall for the first time in his career to make it a 6-4 Demon Deacon lead.
Joey Rodriguez added the exclamation point in the sixth inning with Wake Forest's second grand slam in as many games, pushing the Wake Forest lead to 10-4.
In the eighth, Nate Mondou hit a two-run single and Stuart Fairchild and Justin Yurchak added RBI singles to put the game out of reach, 14-4.
Virginia Tech scored a run in the ninth, but two outfield assists ended the game.
On a run-scoring single, Virginia Tech attempted to send home a second runner, who was gunned out by Rodriguez from center field.
On the very next pitch, Hayden lined out to Fairchild, who doubled the runner off of first base to close out the game.
Matt Pirro settled in after the first-inning homer, allowing four earned runs over 7.0 innings with nine strikeouts to earn the win and improve to 4-0.
Aaron McGarity (1-1) took the loss for the Hokies. Virginia Tech was led offensively by Erik Payne, who finished the day with six hits and five runs scored.
TWO-MAN WRECKING CREW
• Sophomores Will Craig and Nate Mondou have been terrorizing opposing pitchers, and each ranks near the top of the ACC in several categories.
• Craig entered the day as the leader in RBIs and added four more Saturday. He also has a .453 average and .567 on-base percentage to go along with 17 runs scored and 10 extra-base hits.
• Mondou leads the team with 18 runs scored, ranking fourth in the league before scoring three on Saturday. He also nearly caught up to Craig in RBIs, now sitting at 21.
• Craig recorded his 75th career hit in the opener, while Mondou is now three away.
BATS STILL HOT
• Wake Forest entered the day with a league-leading .303 average as a team.
• The Deacons finished the doubleheader hitting .363 (29-for-80), pushing the team average up to a league-leading .312.
FIRST TIME SINCE...
• Wake Forest's two grand slams were the team's first since Mark Rhine hit one at UNCG in April of 2013.
• The Demon Deacons scored 14 runs in an ACC contest for the first time since scoring 15 twice in May of 2011.
ON DECK
• The Deacons and Hokies play the rubber game of the series tomorrow, with first pitch set for 1 p.m. in Winston-Salem.
