Wake Forest University
Louisville
No. 4 Louisville Claims Pitchers' Duel Over Deacons, 3-1
5/19/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Final Stats | Photo Gallery 
| Final Stats (PDF) 
Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeBaseball)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Despite an inside-the-park home run from Kevin Conway, No. 4-ranked Louisville defeated Wake Forest in a pitchers' duel, 3-1, at David F. Couch Ballpark on Thursday night.
Additionally, due to impending rain, Friday's game has been moved up to 1 p.m.
Louisville (44-10, 20-8 ACC) starter Brendan McKay outdueled Wake Forest (32-21, 13-15) pitcher Parker Dunshee. McKay (11-2) tossed 6.0 innings of one-run ball with six strikeouts, while Dunshee (8-4) allowed three runs (two earned) over 7.0 innings with four strikeouts.
The Cardinals scored the first two runs of the game on a Devin Hairston second-inning homer and a Colin Lyman RBI single in the fourth.
In the bottom of the fourth, Conway hit a liner to center field, where Corey Ray attempted to make a sliding catch. Instead, the ball bounced over him and to the center-field wall, allowing Conway to dash home for the first inside-the-parker since Evan Stephens in 2012 and make the score 2-1.
Immediately after the homer, Wake Forest loaded the bases on a Ben Breazeale walk and infield singles from Johnny Aiello and Joey Rodriguez, but a Nate Mondou line drive was hit right to Hairston at shortstop for the third out.
Louisville added an unearned run in the sixth. Nick Solak led off with a double and advanced to third on an error. After a strikeout, Hairston hit a sacrifice fly to bring the run home and push the Cardinal lead to 3-1.
The bullpen sealed the win for the Cardinals, as Lincoln Henzman struck out a pair in 2.0 hitless frames before Zack Burdi worked around a two-out Mondou single to record his 10th save.
Donnie Sellers was stellar in relief for the Demon Deacons, striking out one in 2.0 perfect innings.
Wake Forest stranded 11 baserunners, finishing 3-for-15 with runners on base and 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position.
Aiello was the lone Deacon to record a multi-hit game, finishing 2-for-4 with a two-bagger.
Gavin Sheets saw his hitting streak come to an end at 22 games, tying him for third-longest in program history, as he finished 0-for-3 with a walk.
Wake Forest can clinch a spot in next week's ACC Tournament with a win in either of the final two games. Otherwise, the Deacs will need two of the following to occur: Georgia Tech to beat Boston College once more, NC State to beat North Carolina once more, Clemson to beat Notre Dame once more, and/or Pitt to take the next two games from Duke.
The series between Wake Forest and Louisville continues with 1 p.m. contests on both Friday and Saturday.
