Deacs Clinch Series Over NJIT with Saturday Sweep

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- The Wake Forest baseball team clinched the weekend series over NJIT on Saturday with a pair of victories at David F. Couch Ballpark.

The Deacs moved to 7-0 for the first time since the 1964 season when the Demon Deacons started the season 10-0 to begin the year. Wake Forest has outscored their opponents 96-23 to open the new campaign.

Overall, the Demon Deacons are batting .402 as a team and hold a team ERA of just 2.36.

In the opening game of the twin bill, the Demon Deacons (7-0) were led by another stellar performance from freshman lefthander Josh Hartle. The King, N.C. native tossed 6.2 innings, allowing zero earned runs on two hits while striking out eight Highlanders (2-4). Graduate student Gabe Golob came in out of the pen, throwing a near flawless 2.1 innings, allowing just two NJIT players to reach base.

After a scoreless top of the first, Harle and Golob touched the mound with the lead for the rest of the game. The Deacs scored two in the bottom of the first and netted two more in the next frame to take a 4-0 lead, never looking back in the 9-2 victory.

Four Wake Forest players (Michael Turconi, Brock Wilken, Adam Cecere and Danny Corona) finished the game with multiple RBIs. Turconi and Cecera each tallied three base hits to pace the offense.

The Deac again struck first in the bottom half of the first inning in game two, but NJIT answered with four runs over the next five frames to take a 4-1 lead headed into the bottom of the seventh.

Undaunted, Wake Forest saw its bats come alive. The first seven batters reached base with Chris Katz leading off the inning with a double to left center. Jake Reinisch pulled the Deacs within one, launching a home run over the right field wall.

A Brendan Tinsman double and four consecutive walks pushed the Deacs in front, 5-4. From there, Wake Forest never trailed as Eric Adler closed out his second save of the season while Camden Minacci picked up his first win of the season.

Adler gave up just one hit and one run over the last two frames to close out the Deacs 8-5 victory in the second game of the doubleheader.

How It Happened (Game 1)

Josh Hartle opened the game with a 1-2-3 inning in the first, inducing a pair of groundouts and a fly out.
RBI-singles from Adam Cecere and Danny Corona pushed Wake Forest to a 2-0 lead after their first appearance of the contest.
- The Deacs' first two batters reached safely as Pierce Bennett (walk) and Michael Turconi (single) landed on first and second. Bennett scored the opening run of the game off Cecere's laser up the middle, while Turconi was plated following Corona's base hit to center.
Wake Forest held onto their 2-0 lead as Lucas Costello threw out a NJIT base runner trying to score from second to end the inning.
- With runners on first and second with one out, Turconi fielded a ground ball and threw the ball to Brock Wilken at third base for the force out.
- Additionally, Hartle tallied his first strikeout of the game in the frame.
The Demon Deacons doubled (4-0) their lead with back-to-back RBI-singles with two outs in the second.
- Brock Wilken fired the ball past the NJIT shortstop, scoring Costello (bunt single) for the first run of the inning.
- Immediately after Wilken's base hit, Cecere tallied his second RBI of the contest as Turconi scored from second base.
Hartle responded with his second 1-2-3 frame in the top of the third as Wake Forest held onto their 4-0 advantage.
The Highlanders cut Wake Forest's lead (4-2) behind two walks, an error and fielder's choice in the top of the fourth
- Hartle fanned a NJIT batter, his fourth of the game, for the third and final out.
Wake Forest's offense once again responded, tacking on four runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 8-2 advantage into the fifth.
- Turconi cleared the bases with no one out as the shortstop tripled to left center field, scoring Nick Kurtz (walk) and Bennett (single)
- Wilken and Corona added RBI-groundouts for the last pair of runs of the frame.
Hartle made quick work of the Highlanders in the fifth, tossing his third three-up, three-down inning.
- The King, N.C. native fanned fifth batter for the second out.
The Deacs increased their lead to 9-2 in the sixth with a two out, RBI-single from Chris Katz.
- Cecere and Tinsman walked with one out to place two runners on base. Cecere scored on Katz's single.
After relieving Hartle with two outs in the seventh, Gabe Golob allowed just one hit in the final two frames to clinch the first game of the doubleheader, 9-2.

How It Happened (Game 2)

Teddy McGraw opened the frame with two strikeouts to blank the Highlanders after the top of the first inning.
The Deacs struck first as Nick Kurtz, who singled to lead off the inning, scored thanks to an Adam Cecere SAC fly.
- Kurtz moved to third after Brock Wilken doubled down the left field line.
McGraw fanned another pair of batters in the top of the second to increase his game total to four as the Deacs still led 1-0.
The Highlanders tied the game at 1 in the top of the third after a double to left field.
- After the run, McGraw fanned his fifth batter of the contest and induced a pop up to Nick Kurtz in right field to end the inning.
NJIT added two runs in the top of the fourth to take a 3-1 lead.
McGraw responded to open the fifth, inducing three-straight groundouts to keep NJIT out of the scoring column.
The Highlanders increased their lead to 4-1 with a solo home run to right field in the top of the sixth.
- Camden Minacci took over on the mound with two outs and two on in top of the sixth and got out of the inning after Michael Turconi threw out a runner trying to advance to third base.
Wake Forest plated five runs in the bottom of the seventh to take a 6-4 lead.
- Chris Katz started the rally with a double to center field before Jake Reinisch smashed a ball over the right field wall to narrow the deficit to one.
- The Deacs took a one-run lead with a Brendan Tinsman double followed by four-straight walks to Nick Kurtz, Turconi, Wilken and Cecere.
- Pierce Bennett registered a sac fly to center field to score Turconi from third base, pushing Wake Forest's lead (6-4) to two heading into the eighth.
From there, Eric Adler shut the door for his second save of the young season and the eighth of his career. Over the final two innings, gave up just one hit and one run.
- The Demon Deacons tacked on two more insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth on a Nick Kurtz opposite field two-run home run over the left field wall.
The 8-5 victory in the nightcap, clinched the series win over the Highlanders and has Wake Forest off to its best season start since 1964.

Words from Walter

"Any time you win a doubleheader, that's hard to do in college baseball. I am really happy with the way we battled back in that second game. We got behind early and the guys always kept believing, kept working and we strung together some really good at-bats there in the seventh inning. Chris Katz leads off with a double. (Jake) Reinisch homers and then Tinny (Brendan Tinsman) hits a big double. They walked a couple guys and got a big sac fly from Pierce Bennett which allowed us to take the lead and go to our closer. Ads (Eric Adler) did what Ads does.

"I was pleased with the way Teddy (McGraw) threw. He threw better this week than last week so really pleased with the way we have pitched all weekend. Cam (Minacci) got four big outs in the middle there. Josh (Hartle) didn't have his best stuff in game one but he competed. He battled and got us into the seventh, so I was pleased with Josh Hartle. We did a great job offensively in the first game. Any time you score nine or 10 runs, you're going to have a chance to win most ball games. It was a really good team effort, but more than anything, I am happy that our guys did not rest on the fact that we already won two games and they believed they were going to win."

In The Spotlight

The Deacs moved to 7-0 for the first time since the 1964 season when the Demon Deacons started the season 10-0 to begin the year. The Deacs best starts to begin a season:

7-0: 2021, 1964, 1961, 1956, 1953, 1949, 1940, 1937, 1913, 1903
8-0: 1964, 1961, 1953, 1949, 1937, 1913
9-0: 1964, 1961, 1949, 1937, 1913
10-0: 1964, 1961, 1949, 1913
11-0: 1961, 1949
12-0: 1949
13-0: 1949
14-0: 1949
15-0: 1949

Wake Forest has outscored their opponents 96-23 to open the new campaign. Overall, the Demon Deacons are batting .402 as a team and hold a team ERA of just 2.36.

On Deck

The Deacs and Highlanders close out the four-game set on Sunday, Feb. 27 at 1:00 p.m. at David F. Couch Ballpark.

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Team Stats

Michael Turconi

Adam Cecere

Pierce Bennett

Chris Katz

Players Mentioned

Eric Adler

Pierce Bennett

Adam Cecere

Danny Corona

Lucas Costello

Gabe Golob

Josh Hartle

Chris Katz

Nick Kurtz

Teddy McGraw

Camden Minacci

Jake Reinisch

Brendan Tinsman

Michael Turconi

Brock Wilken

Players Mentioned

Eric Adler

Pierce Bennett

Adam Cecere

Danny Corona

Lucas Costello

Gabe Golob

Josh Hartle

Chris Katz

Nick Kurtz

Teddy McGraw

Camden Minacci

Jake Reinisch

Brendan Tinsman

Michael Turconi

Brock Wilken

Wake Forest Athletics