Deacs Stay Hot as End of Season Nears
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons (35–17, 14–13 ACC) welcomed the Western Carolina Catamounts (32–20) to Winston-Salem over the weekend. The Deacs were winners of four consecutive games before the weekend, and stayed the course to open things up under the Friday night lights. On Saturday, the win streak was pushed to six games after a pouncing.
While the Demon Deacons secured their third series win in their last four outings, they were looking to sweep their opponent in back-to-back weekends...
Game 3: 9–5 W
Cameron Bagwell took the mound for the Sunday matinee and allowed a home run on the first batter of the game. But, in the bottom of the frame, Luke Costello matched the Western Carolina strike with his team-leading 16th homer, extending Wake Forest's streak of scoring in the first inning to six contests.
Despite the offensive reprieve, Bagwell gave up a 2-run home run in the second inning and was pulled before the start of the third. The 6-foot-5 sophomore finished allowing three earned runs, zero walks, and he struck out three batters.
Ryan Brennecke came in to relieve Bagwell, but allowed a 2-run double in the third inning, sinking the Demon Deacons into a 5–1 deficit. Marcelo Harsch replaced Brennecke to begin the fourth inning, and this is where things began to turn around. Harsch retired the side in order via groundouts, and Wake Forest took the lead after a 6-run burst: two RBI walks, a 2 RBI single by JD Stein, and a 2 RBI double by Javar Williams.
Boston Torres handled the scoring for the rest of the afternoon, recording an RBI single in the fifth and an RBI double in the seventh. After scoring five runs in the first three innings, Western Carolina was shut out. Ultimately, Harsch (3–2) recorded the victory, allowing just one hit and striking out four batters in 2.1 innings of work. Additionally, Rhys Bowie lasted 2.2 innings and tallied six strikeouts, while allowing zero hits.
This 9–5 series-sweeping win ends the Deacs' regular season at the Couch ballpark, and gives them a perfect 15–0 non-conference record at home—for the fourth time in five seasons.
What's Next for Wake Forest Baseball?
On Tuesday, May 12, the Demon Deacons are off to Lynchburg, Virginia, to take on the Liberty Flames. The two foes met at the Couch on March 17, where Wake Forest run-ruled the Flames 11–0. To cap off the regular season, the Deacs head to Durham for a weekend series against the Duke Blue Devils that starts on Thursday, May 14.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Blake is a Sophomore at Wake Forest University in North Carolina. When not living on campus, he resides in West Virginia, where he was born and raised. He is studying communication and is invested in all things related to sports media. In his Freshman year, he completed an internship with the National Sports Media Association, and also worked as a sports editor at Wake Forest's student-run newspaper, the Old Gold & Black. Currently, Blake does play-by-play broadcasting for Wake Forest Club Ice Hockey and holds a job at Learfield, working as a studio host. In a perfect world, he would spend his free time road tripping and attending concerts all across the United States.
Follow BlakeARobison