Wake Forest University
Clemson
Deacs Fall in Opener to No. 14 Clemson, 7-5
4/20/2018 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Final Stats | Final Stats (PDF) 
Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeBaseball)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- No. 14 Clemson hit a pair of eighth-inning solo homers to break a 5-5 tie and beat Wake Forest, 7-5, in the series-opener at David F. Couch Ballpark on Friday night.
Chris Lanzilli hit a two-run homer and walked twice to lead the Demon Deacons offensively (18-21, 10-9 ACC), while Patrick Frick went 2-for-5.
Griffin Roberts became the seventh different Deacon to record 100 strikeouts in a season with 10 more on Friday. He didn't have his best stuff, conceding five runs on nine hits, three walks and four HBPs, but still battled through 7.0 innings and left the game in a 5-5 tie.
Logan Davidson and Chris Williams each left the yard down the left-field line in the eighth to put the Tigers (27-11, 12-7 ACC) ahead for good.
The Tigers pulled ahead on a two-run single by Seth Beer in the top of the first, but Wake Forest scored the next four runs.
Johnny Aiello hit a sacrifice fly in the first to cut the margin to 2-1. In the second, Lanzilli blasted a two-run hshot to put the Deacs in front. Frick hit a single which scored Logan Harvey after an error, and Jake Mueller hit an RBI groundout to put the Deacs up, 5-2.
Grayson Byrd and Kyle Wilkie hit RBI singles in the third to cut the margin to 5-4 for Clemson, and a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch in the fifth brought home the tying run.
The Deacs chased Clemson starter Jacob Hennessy from the game after 2.0 innings, but couldn't get to the Tiger bullpen. Spencer Strider tossed 3.1 shutout innings with five strikeouts and Ryan Miller (3-1) pitched the last 3.2 innings with four strikeouts, and each allowed only one hit.
In his first game of the season, Bruce Steel walked twice and scored a run.
Jared Shuster tossed a scoreless ninth inning with a strikeout for the Deacs.
Game two of the series is set for 4 p.m. on Saturday on ACC Network Extra.
