Saturday, March 8
Winston-Salem, NC
5 p.m.
Wake Forest University
13-3, 2-0
6
vs
5
Notre Dame
8-3, 0-2
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2
3
4
5
6
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8
9
R
H
E
Notre Dame
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
3
1
5
10
1
Wake Forest
3
0
0
0
0
0
3
0
X
6
8
1
No. 15 Demon Deacons Secure Series Victory Over Notre Dame, 6-5
3/8/2025 9:26:00 PM | Baseball
With the help of a total team effort Saturday night, the Wake Forest baseball team moved to 2-0 in ACC play, claiming the first conference series win of the season over Notre Dame.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Leading from the jump after back-to-back-to-back first inning home runs, the Wake Forest baseball team secured the opening series of ACC play with the help of a 6-5 Saturday night victory over Notre Dame at David F. Couch Ballpark.
After three runs in the bottom of the first with back-to-back-to-back home runs from juniors Marek Houston, Ethan Conrad and Jack Winnay, the Demon Deacons (13-3, 2-0 ACC) took the lead and never gave it up for the rest of the game.
The 2-3-4 hitters of Wake's lineup in Houston, Conrad and Winnay went a combined 6-of-10 at the plate with four of the Demon Deacons six runs scored while also collecting five of the six RBI in the game. Winnay led the way with three RBI as a crucial single in the seventh scored both Cam Nelson and Matt Scannell, netting big insurance runs late in the game.
Houston collected his ninth multi-hit game of the season and second in the series as he goes into Sunday hitting 5-of-7 with a pair of home runs, 11 RBI and three runs scored in the first two games.
On the bump, junior lefthander Matthew Dallas moved to 3-0 on the season with a strong 5.0 innings pitched, fanning seven Fighting Irish (8-3, 0-2 ACC) batters while allowing just one earned run on four scattered hits.
Coming into the game with one out, the bases loaded and the Deacs leading 6-4 in the ninth, head coach Tom Walter turned to sophomore lefthander Haiden Leffew. The Kannapolis, N.C. native got a strikeout and then induced a ground out to Houston to close out the win.
Leffew earned his first save of the season while Walter captured his 899th career victory as a manager.
HOW IT HAPPENED
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
STAGGERING STATISTIC
FROM COACH WALTER
"Not exactly how we drew it up. We had a five-run lead with five outs to get and just gave them too many free passes. We had a couple of plays I thought we should have made and didn't, and then it came down to the wire. Give credit to Haiden Leffew. He came in there – really all three of our guys that came out of the bullpen to bridge innings. [Josh] Gunther comes in and got a big strikeout of their best hitter, [Bino] Watters, after going down in the count, 3-0. [Zach Johnston] comes in and gets two big groundballs to get us out of an inning, and then obviously Haiden. I give Haiden a lot of credit, he throws the curveball and it goes to the backstop to get it to 6-5, and then goes right back to it to get the strikeout." - Head Coach Tom Walter
UP NEXT
Wake Forest goes for the series sweep against Notre Dame Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on ACC Network Extra.
FOLLOW THE DEACS
GoDeacs.com | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
After three runs in the bottom of the first with back-to-back-to-back home runs from juniors Marek Houston, Ethan Conrad and Jack Winnay, the Demon Deacons (13-3, 2-0 ACC) took the lead and never gave it up for the rest of the game.
The 2-3-4 hitters of Wake's lineup in Houston, Conrad and Winnay went a combined 6-of-10 at the plate with four of the Demon Deacons six runs scored while also collecting five of the six RBI in the game. Winnay led the way with three RBI as a crucial single in the seventh scored both Cam Nelson and Matt Scannell, netting big insurance runs late in the game.
Houston collected his ninth multi-hit game of the season and second in the series as he goes into Sunday hitting 5-of-7 with a pair of home runs, 11 RBI and three runs scored in the first two games.
On the bump, junior lefthander Matthew Dallas moved to 3-0 on the season with a strong 5.0 innings pitched, fanning seven Fighting Irish (8-3, 0-2 ACC) batters while allowing just one earned run on four scattered hits.
Coming into the game with one out, the bases loaded and the Deacs leading 6-4 in the ninth, head coach Tom Walter turned to sophomore lefthander Haiden Leffew. The Kannapolis, N.C. native got a strikeout and then induced a ground out to Houston to close out the win.
Leffew earned his first save of the season while Walter captured his 899th career victory as a manager.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Starter Matthew Dallas got the day started with a pair of strikeouts in a three-up, three-down top of the first.
- Wake Forest jumped on the Irish early with back-to-back-to-back home runs to take a 3-0 lead after one inning.
- Junior Marek Houston launched his seventh homer of the year over the wall in right field for an opposite field bomb to put the Demon Deacons on the board.
- Center fielder Ethan Conrad went over the video board in right center to double the lead on a 447-foot bomb.
- First baseman Jack Winnay matched Houston for the team lead at seven with another ball over the right field wall.
- The three-consecutive home runs marked the first time with three straight for Wake Forest since Brock Wilken, Pierce Bennett and Justin Johnson vs. Louisville during the 2023 season.
- Notre Dame got a run back in the top of the third, but Dallas barred down with his fourth strikeout to limit the damage.
- Singles from Houston and Winnay put runners on the corners, but the Deacs were unable to extend their 3-1 lead in the bottom of the third.
- Dallas recorded back-to-back strikeouts in the top of the fourth to push his total to six punchouts on the night.
- The lefty kept it rolling with a 13-pitch top of the fifth, including his seventh strikeout to end the frame.
- The sophomore finished the night giving up just one run over 5.0 innings on 79 total pitches.
- Reliever Luke Schmolke struckout out a pair of batters in a quick top of the sixth for Wake Forest.
- The Demon Deacons added a trio of insurance runners with two outs in the seventh to stretch the lead to 6-1.
- Catcher Matt Conte started the inning with a single through the left side.
- Right fielder Matt Scannell reached on a fielder's choice, and a walk to Houston loaded the bases for Wake Forest.
- Winnay attacked the first pitch he saw with a two-RBI single through the right side to make it 5-1 in favor of the Deacs.
- Designated hitter Kade Lewis capped the scoring with a single to center to push the advantage to five.
- The Irish countered with three runs in the eighth inning to make it 6-4.
- Sophomore lefthander Haiden Leffew came into the contest in the ninth and earned his first save of the season, helping induce a ground ball that was scooped up by Houston as he threw it onto first for the final out.
- The Deacs claimed the series with the 6-5 Saturday win.
- Dallas moved to 3-0 on the season.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
- Through the first two games of the conference season, the Demon Deacons have five hitters batting over .400.
- Junior infielder Mark Houston and junior infielder Jack Winnay are both 5-of-7, hitting .714.
- Houston has 13 total bases, 11 RBI, four runs scored and home runs in both games. In the two games, he has a 1.857 slugging percentage.
- Winnay has a team-high .778 on–base percentage in addition to having a 1.286 slugging percentage and nine total bases in the series.
- Sophomore utility Antonio Morales and sophomore infielder Kade Lewis are both batting .500 in the two games while junior outfielder Ethan Conrad is hitting .429.
- Junior infielder Mark Houston and junior infielder Jack Winnay are both 5-of-7, hitting .714.
STAGGERING STATISTIC
- Wake Forest is up to 32 home runs over their first 16 games and are one of just six teams in the country over the 30 mark to this point of the season.
- The Deacs ranked first in the ACC and sixth in the nation in the category entering the weekend.
- Both launching their seventh of the year in the first inning, Houston and Winnay rank tied for second in the ACC and 11th in the country in home runs.
- The Deacs pitching staff has been impressive thus far, recording double-digit strikeouts in 13 of the first 16 games of the 2025 season.
- Wake Forest leads the country in strikeouts with 194 on the year and ranks first in the ACC with 14 more strikeouts than the next closest team (Virginia Tech - 180).
- The Demon Deacons have struck out 15 or more in eight contests already this season, including 20 strikeouts against St. John's on Friday, which ties for second most since the 1999 season.
FROM COACH WALTER
"Not exactly how we drew it up. We had a five-run lead with five outs to get and just gave them too many free passes. We had a couple of plays I thought we should have made and didn't, and then it came down to the wire. Give credit to Haiden Leffew. He came in there – really all three of our guys that came out of the bullpen to bridge innings. [Josh] Gunther comes in and got a big strikeout of their best hitter, [Bino] Watters, after going down in the count, 3-0. [Zach Johnston] comes in and gets two big groundballs to get us out of an inning, and then obviously Haiden. I give Haiden a lot of credit, he throws the curveball and it goes to the backstop to get it to 6-5, and then goes right back to it to get the strikeout." - Head Coach Tom Walter
UP NEXT
Wake Forest goes for the series sweep against Notre Dame Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on ACC Network Extra.
FOLLOW THE DEACS
GoDeacs.com | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Dallas, Matthew (3-0)
L: Jackson Dennies (2-1)
S: Haiden Leffew (1)
Batting:
2B: Carson Tinney 1
RBI: Bino Watters 1 ; Noah Coy 1 ; DM Jefferson 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Estevan Moreno 1 ; Carson Tinney 1 ; Brady Gumpf 1 ; Connor Hincks 1 ; DM Jefferson 1
HBP: Parker Brzustewicz 1 ; Carson Tinney 1
PO: Noah Coy 1
Batting:
HR: Schaaf, Blake 1 ; Brennecke, Ryan 1 ; Miller, Jackson 1
RBI: Schaaf, Blake 1 ; Brennecke, Ryan 1 ; Miller, Jackson 3 ; Lewis, Kade 1
SH: Nicholson, Grant 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Matt Scannell 1 ; Schaaf, Blake 2 ; Brennecke, Ryan 1 ; Miller, Jackson 1 ; Roper, Jackson 1
Game Leaders
AB
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3
RBI
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H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
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