The Demon Deacons
Deacons Improve to 2-0 at College World Series
6/12/2020 8:00:00 PM | Baseball
This year marks the 65th anniversary of Wake Forest's 1955 College World Series Championship. GoDeacs.com will re-live that journey to the national championship by re-telling the story of each game on the corresponding date. The Deacons started on the road to Omaha with their first game at West Virginia on May 28, 1955.
Wake Forest 10, Northern Colorado 0
OMAHA, Neb. – Wake Forest's Lowell "Lefty" Davis, after surviving a 14-hour trip to Omaha, showed no ill effects in throwing a four-hitter in defeating Northern Colorado (nee Colorado State College of Education) in the second round of the College World Series at Omaha Municipal Stadium.
Because he is enrolled in summer school classes, Davis did not accompany the team to Omaha and needed special permission in order to fly out to the game.
Wake Forest, at 2-0, remains undefeated in the tournament. Both of the Deacons' wins have been four-hit shutouts.
Wake Forest will meet the only other undefeated team remaining in the field in Western Michigan at 8 o'clock on June 13. The Broncos defeated Oklahoma State 5-4.
Wake Forest exploded for four runs in the first inning and was never seriously threatened. George Miller's sensational running catch in the eighth inning took away a possible extra base hit from UNC's Del Peterson after Davis had put runners on second and third with two outs following a single, a walk and a passed ball.
Davis improved to 10-1 by striking out 10 and scattering five walks. Northern Colorado's Bob Gill suffered just his second loss in 10 decisions.
Northern Colorado fell to 25-3 on the season and will move to the lower bracket there it will play Arizona in an elimination game.
Third baseman Bill Barnes led the Deacons 12-hit attack with three of his own. Shortstop Harold Moore and centerfielder Luther McKeel each contributed a pair of hits. McKeel scored four times.
Moore led off the bottom of the first and moved to second when McKeel was hit by a pitch. Catcher Linwood Holt grounded to third but Bill Wright threw wide of first, allowing Moore to score. Barnes then doubled home a pair of runs before Jack Bryant drew a walk. Barnes scored when Bob Waggoner was safe on an infield hit. Davis grounded into a double play to end the inning.
The Deacons added two more runs in the second when Moore singled and McKeel doubled to start the rally. Holt and Tommy Cole followed with run-scoring sacrifice flies.
The Deacons held their 6-0 lead until the seventh inning when McKeel walked, moved to second on a sacrifice by Holt, scampered to third on a passed back and scored on another error by Northern Colorado's Wright.
The Deacons finished the scoring in the eighth with three runs on five hits and two Northern Colorado errors. Moore, McKeel, Holt, Barnes and Davis all knocked singles.
Wake Forest is expected to send George "Buck" Fichter to the mound against Western Michigan.
The Deacons did suffer a setback when rightfielder Tommy Cole was picked off second base in the seventh inning and tore cartilage in his leg while attempting to get back to the bag. If he is unable to play, he will be replaced by George Miller.
Sunday's other games saw Western Michigan defeat Oklahoma State 5-4 and Colgate eliminated Southern California, 5-4.
Western Michigan's win over Oklahoma State had a very strange ending. In the bottom of the ninth, the Broncos trailed 4-2 and had two runners on base. Western's Bill Lajoie attempted a sacrifice bunt but the throw from the third baseman sailed into right field. The rightfielder's throw home hit Western head coach Richard Erickson on the head. Oklahoma State players failed to call time and rushed towards Erickson's side. All three base runners scored to give the Broncos a 5-4 win.
Arizona's Carl Thomas tied the NCAA Tournament record with 15 strikeouts as Arizona eliminated Springfield College, 6-0.
Notes:
Wake Forest 10, Northern Colorado 0
OMAHA, Neb. – Wake Forest's Lowell "Lefty" Davis, after surviving a 14-hour trip to Omaha, showed no ill effects in throwing a four-hitter in defeating Northern Colorado (nee Colorado State College of Education) in the second round of the College World Series at Omaha Municipal Stadium.
Because he is enrolled in summer school classes, Davis did not accompany the team to Omaha and needed special permission in order to fly out to the game.
Wake Forest, at 2-0, remains undefeated in the tournament. Both of the Deacons' wins have been four-hit shutouts.
Wake Forest will meet the only other undefeated team remaining in the field in Western Michigan at 8 o'clock on June 13. The Broncos defeated Oklahoma State 5-4.
Wake Forest exploded for four runs in the first inning and was never seriously threatened. George Miller's sensational running catch in the eighth inning took away a possible extra base hit from UNC's Del Peterson after Davis had put runners on second and third with two outs following a single, a walk and a passed ball.
Davis improved to 10-1 by striking out 10 and scattering five walks. Northern Colorado's Bob Gill suffered just his second loss in 10 decisions.
Northern Colorado fell to 25-3 on the season and will move to the lower bracket there it will play Arizona in an elimination game.
Third baseman Bill Barnes led the Deacons 12-hit attack with three of his own. Shortstop Harold Moore and centerfielder Luther McKeel each contributed a pair of hits. McKeel scored four times.
Moore led off the bottom of the first and moved to second when McKeel was hit by a pitch. Catcher Linwood Holt grounded to third but Bill Wright threw wide of first, allowing Moore to score. Barnes then doubled home a pair of runs before Jack Bryant drew a walk. Barnes scored when Bob Waggoner was safe on an infield hit. Davis grounded into a double play to end the inning.
The Deacons added two more runs in the second when Moore singled and McKeel doubled to start the rally. Holt and Tommy Cole followed with run-scoring sacrifice flies.
The Deacons held their 6-0 lead until the seventh inning when McKeel walked, moved to second on a sacrifice by Holt, scampered to third on a passed back and scored on another error by Northern Colorado's Wright.
The Deacons finished the scoring in the eighth with three runs on five hits and two Northern Colorado errors. Moore, McKeel, Holt, Barnes and Davis all knocked singles.
Wake Forest is expected to send George "Buck" Fichter to the mound against Western Michigan.
The Deacons did suffer a setback when rightfielder Tommy Cole was picked off second base in the seventh inning and tore cartilage in his leg while attempting to get back to the bag. If he is unable to play, he will be replaced by George Miller.
Sunday's other games saw Western Michigan defeat Oklahoma State 5-4 and Colgate eliminated Southern California, 5-4.
Western Michigan's win over Oklahoma State had a very strange ending. In the bottom of the ninth, the Broncos trailed 4-2 and had two runners on base. Western's Bill Lajoie attempted a sacrifice bunt but the throw from the third baseman sailed into right field. The rightfielder's throw home hit Western head coach Richard Erickson on the head. Oklahoma State players failed to call time and rushed towards Erickson's side. All three base runners scored to give the Broncos a 5-4 win.
Arizona's Carl Thomas tied the NCAA Tournament record with 15 strikeouts as Arizona eliminated Springfield College, 6-0.
Notes:
- The Deacons visited Boys Town after the win over Colgate and Frank McRae, who struckout three times against the Raiders, received a batting tip from an orphan. A 12-year-old asked why McRae held his left shoulder so high while batting. "Looks like it would keep you from seeing the ball," said the youngster.
- National League umpire Art Gore worked the plate in the Colgate game and said afterwards "I'm thoroughly enjoying this assignment. "And I'm calling 'em just like I would in the majors. Frankly, the defensive play I saw in the Wake Forest-Colgate game was great."
- Bill Barnes was approached by a panhandler while the team was on the street in Omaha. After giving him a dime, the panhandler gave it back to Barnes, insulted. "One lousy dime. Take it back, you need it worse than I do."
- According to Bill Hensley's account in the Charlotte Observer, "Some of the Deacons tried their hand at dancing Saturday night and found that an unusual rule exists in the Nebraska town. It's a city ordinance that a boy must hold both of his partners hands while dancing. None of that putting your hand on the small of the back. Most of the tunes were polkas and waltzes, too."
- Lowell "Lefty" Davis arrived in Omaha at 3 a.m. yesterday morning after a 14-hour trip, expecting to pitch Saturday night's game against Northern Colorado. As the plane flew to Chicago, the pilot announced that he would have to either circle the airport for two hours or divert to another airport. After landing in Milwaukee, Davis had a 90-mile bus ride back to Chicago to make his connection to Omaha.
- Davis was scheduled to return to Wake Forest on Sunday so as not to miss Monday's classes. Athletic Director Pat Preston received special permission from Wake Forest president Harold Tribble for Davis to remain one extra day in order to pitch against Northern Colorado.
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