Wake Forest University
Florida State
Deacs Clinch Series Over No. 4 Florida State
4/17/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Final Stats | Final Stats (PDF) 
Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeBaseball)
Wake Forest clinched its first series against No. 4-ranked Florida State in more than a decade with a 4-2 win on Sunday afternoon at David F. Couch Ballpark, taking the series two games to one.
The win for the Demon Deacons (22-17, 7-11 ACC) marked their third victory of the week over a top 50 RPI opponent and also handed the Seminoles (23-11, 10-4) their first ACC series loss of the season.
It was a complete effort for the Deacons, as they notched ten hits, played outstanding defense, and held one of the best offensive teams in the nation to just two runs.
Will Craig also had a strong all-around game, finishing 2-for-3 at the plate with a home run and a walk, and also pitching 2.0 scoreless frames for his fifth save of the year.
After Florida State plated a run in the top of the first, an outstanding diving catch by Keegan Maronpot at third base helped the Deacs avoid further damage.
Then, in the bottom half of the inning, Maronpot stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and delivered a two-run double to left to give the Deacs a lead they never relinquished.
The offense was strong for the third game in a row, as Kevin Conway, Nate Mondou, Gavin Sheets, and Craig each recorded two hits in the win.
On the mound, Wake Forest starter Connor Johnstone (2-3) delivered arguably his best performance of the season, limiting the Seminoles to two runs on five hits over 5.1 innings.
Leading 2-1 in the bottom of the third, Craig led off the inning and blasted his team-leading 10th home run of the season to push the Deacon lead to 3-1.
After Wake Forest added another run on a fielder's choice in the fourth, the Seminoles answered in the top of the fifth with a solo home run from Donovan Petrey.
FSU rallied again in the sixth, but right-hander Chris Farish entered in relief with a 2-0 count and got the only batter he faced to line into an 8-3 double play to end the threat.
Donnie Sellers pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning for the Deacs, recording a strikeout on his third straight day of work.
The Seminoles put two runners on with one out in the ninth, but Craig induced the fourth double play of the game to preserve the win.
Up next, Wake Forest will travel to Appalachian State for a game on Tuesday at 6 p.m. before returning home for a weekend series against another top-25 foe, North Carolina.
