No. 7 Wake Forest Evens Series With 9-3 Win Over Virginia Baseball
After exploding for 16 runs to take game 1 on Friday, the Cavalier bats were stymied by Wake Forest starter Chase Burns, who gave up just one run in seven innings and struck out 13 batters. Behind that superb pitching performance, No. 7 Wake Forest (13-5, 2-3 ACC) held UVA to three runs on five hits and handed No. 17 Virginia (15-4, 2-3 ACC) a 9-3 loss on Saturday afternoon at Disharoon Park.
Wake Forest got on the board in the top of the first as Marek Houston stretched a leadoff single to second base on an error, moved to third on a groundout, and scored on a single by Adam Tellier. Wake starter Chase Burns, a Preseason All-American, struck out the side in the first, but then gave up a solo home run to Henry Godbout in the bottom of the second to tie the game.
Burns and Virginia starter Evan Blanco each tossed a scoreless third inning, but Wake regained the lead on an RBI triple by Cameron Gill in the fourth and scored two more runs in the fifth on a two-run homer by Jack Winnay to make it 4-1.
With the exception of that solo homer from Godbout in the second inning, the vaunted Virginia bats couldn't touch Chase Burns, who gave up just two hits and one earned run and struck out 13 batters in seven innings of work.
The Wake offense supplied more run support late in the game, as Winnay hit his second home run in the top of the seventh and UVA walked in a run in the top of the eighth. Kevin Jaxel surrendered three runs in the top of the ninth, giving the Demon Deacons a 9-1 lead.
The Cavaliers finally got back on the board in the bottom of the ninth on a two-run home run by freshman Antonio Perrotta, the first of his career.
But it was too little, too late as Wake Forest went on to win 9-3. Evan Blanco took the loss as he gave up four runs, three of them earned, on eight hits and struck out four batters in five innings of work.
Virginia and Wake Forest will play the rubber match of the three-game series on Sunday at 1pm at Disharoon Park. Jay Woolfolk will get the start on the mound for the Cavaliers, while Wake Forest will start left-hander Hayden Leffew.
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