Friday, April 21
Pittsburgh, PA
6:00 p.m.
Wake Forest University
32-6, 14-4
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Pitt
17-17, 8-9
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9
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Wake Forest
0
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Pitt
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1
No. 2 Deacs Fall in Series Opener at Pitt
4/21/2023 9:09:00 PM | Baseball
Wake Forest’s pitching staff held an ACC opponent to three runs or less for the 12th time this season.
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The second-ranked Wake Forest baseball team fell by a final score of 3-0 in the first game of its seventh ACC series of the season on Friday night inside Charles L. Cost Stadium.
Seth Keener tossed 3.2 scoreless innings out of the Wake Forest (32-6, 14-4 ACC) bullpen, fanning three batters and allowing just two hits.
Keener induced an inning-ending 5-4-3 double play to the first batter he faced in the bottom of the fourth to keep it a three-run game.
The Pilot Mountain, N.C. native retired the side in the fifth, highlighted by back-to-back strikeouts, before tossing another hitless inning in the sixth.
Sean Sullivan made his eighth start of the season on the mound as the lefthander fanned three batters in 3.1 innings.
Chase Walter struck out two batters in the eighth before Derek Crum stranded a runner at second with a groundout to Justin Johnson at second. Additionally, this marked the fourth-straight scoreless inning produced by the Deacs on the bump.
Overall, Wake Forest's pitching staff held an ACC opponent to three runs or less for the 12th time this season.
Offensively, Tommy Hawke led Wake Forest at the plate with three hits, his team-best 18th multi-hit game of the season. Nick Kurtz drew a team-high two walks.
How It Happened
"A disappointing loss. Every loss is. We hit some balls right at people in big situations. Pierce Bennett twice with runners in scoring position. Nick Kurtz. We didn't stack enough at-bats together today. I just felt like our at-bats weren't good up and down. We did a pretty good job out of our bullpen keeping it where it was. Sully really only made one bad pitch – the changeup on the home run. But other than that, Sully threw the ball fine. We had too many free passes. We wiggled around some of those to keep it close, but couldn't find a way to put enough pressure on them."
On Deck
Wake Forest will look to even the series on Saturday, April 22 against Pitt on ACC Network. First pitch is slated for 4 p.m.
The teams will finish the series on Sunday, April 23 inside Charles L. Cost Field at 1 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.
Follow The Deacs:
GoDeacs.com | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Seth Keener tossed 3.2 scoreless innings out of the Wake Forest (32-6, 14-4 ACC) bullpen, fanning three batters and allowing just two hits.
Keener induced an inning-ending 5-4-3 double play to the first batter he faced in the bottom of the fourth to keep it a three-run game.
The Pilot Mountain, N.C. native retired the side in the fifth, highlighted by back-to-back strikeouts, before tossing another hitless inning in the sixth.
Sean Sullivan made his eighth start of the season on the mound as the lefthander fanned three batters in 3.1 innings.
Chase Walter struck out two batters in the eighth before Derek Crum stranded a runner at second with a groundout to Justin Johnson at second. Additionally, this marked the fourth-straight scoreless inning produced by the Deacs on the bump.
Overall, Wake Forest's pitching staff held an ACC opponent to three runs or less for the 12th time this season.
Offensively, Tommy Hawke led Wake Forest at the plate with three hits, his team-best 18th multi-hit game of the season. Nick Kurtz drew a team-high two walks.
How It Happened
- Wake Forest put a pair in scoring position with two outs in the top of the first thanks to a combination of a walk to Nick Kurtz, a hit batter Brock Wilken and a passed ball, but a line out ended the opening frame.
- Pitt found the scoreboard first with a one-out solo home run. Sean Sullivan responded with a strikeout and inning-ending groundout.
- Gio Cueto doubled down the left field line with two outs. Marek Houston followed that up with a single to left field, but a play at the plate ended the top of the second.
- Another solo home run from Pitt increased its lead to 2-0 after two.
- Sullivan struck out two batters in the frame, increasing his game total to three.
- Wake Forest loaded the bases in the top of the third, but a groundout ended the scoring opportunity.
- Tommy Hawke singled to lead off the inning before Kurtz reached for the second time of the game courtesy of a fielding error. After a strikeout, Pierce Bennett walked.
- Sullivan notched a scoreless top of the third, stranding a pair of Panthers with a groundout to Kurtz at first base for the third and final out.
- Pitt added a run on a fielder's choice with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth to increase its lead to 3-0.
- Seth Keener took over with one out and the bases juiced. The right hander forced a 5-4-3 double play to end the inning, highlighted by a diving effort by Wilken.
- Consecutive walks drawn by Kurtz and Wilken placed a pair on base in the top of the fifth, but a leaping grab on an in-field liner ended the frame.
- Keener came back in the fifth and tossed a perfect three–up, three-down frame, highlighted by back-to-back punchouts.
- Keener notched another zero to end the sixth, stranding a pair of base runners with a fly out and groundout.
- Hawke fired a single with one out in the top of the seventh, but a pop up in foul territory and a deep fly out ended the frame.
- Keener kept the Panthers off the scoreboard for the third-straight inning in the seventh.
- Pitt notched its first base hit since the fourth. Undaunted, Keener stranded a pair with a fielder's choice and back-to-back fly outs.
- Chase Walter and Derek Crum combined for Wake Forest's fourth-straight zero on the mound in the bottom of the eighth.
- Walter fanned two batters before Crum stranded a runner at second with a groundout.
- Hawke notched his third hit of the game with two outs in the top of the ninth, but a strikeout ended the game as Pitt took the series opener, 3-0.
"A disappointing loss. Every loss is. We hit some balls right at people in big situations. Pierce Bennett twice with runners in scoring position. Nick Kurtz. We didn't stack enough at-bats together today. I just felt like our at-bats weren't good up and down. We did a pretty good job out of our bullpen keeping it where it was. Sully really only made one bad pitch – the changeup on the home run. But other than that, Sully threw the ball fine. We had too many free passes. We wiggled around some of those to keep it close, but couldn't find a way to put enough pressure on them."
On Deck
Wake Forest will look to even the series on Saturday, April 22 against Pitt on ACC Network. First pitch is slated for 4 p.m.
The teams will finish the series on Sunday, April 23 inside Charles L. Cost Field at 1 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.
Follow The Deacs:
GoDeacs.com | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: SOKOL, Jack (5-2)
L: Sullivan, Sean (5-2)
S: BRYAN, Nash (5)
Batting:
2B: Cueto, Gio 1
Base Running:
HBP: Wilken, Brock 1
Batting:
HR: MELENDEZ, Jayden 1 ; ACAL, Justin 1
RBI: MELENDEZ, Jayden 1 ; ACAL, Justin 1 ; LASALA, Anthony 1
Base Running:
RUNS: MELENDEZ, Jayden 1 ; FUNK, CJ 1 ; ACAL, Justin 1
SB: ACAL, Justin 1
HBP: DUFF, Sky 1 ; ANDERSON, Jack 1 ; ACAL, Justin 1
Game Leaders
AB
5
R
0
H
3
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
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OF/INF
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