Cavalier Baseball Suffers 8-3 Loss at Wake Forest in ACC Opener
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March 9, 2007
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Virginia baseball team had its 13-game win streak snapped Friday afternoon with an 8-3 loss at Wake Forest in the ACC Opener for both teams. The Cavaliers fall to 15-2 overall (0-1 ACC) with the loss, while the Demon Deacons improve to 10-4 (1-0 ACC).
“The difference in the game was they had guys step up and make big plays when they needed it,” head coach Brian O’Connor said. “Both teams had 12 hits and one error, but they got the clutch hits with runners on base and made key pitches when we had those situations. It is disappointing to lose, but that is going to happen in this league when you don’t play your best.”
Sean Doolittle (Tabernacle, N.J.) and Brandon Guyer (Herndon, Va.) led the Virginia offense, each going 2-for-4 in the game. Greg Miclat (Concord, N.C.) and David Adams (Margate, Fla.) each went 2-for-5.
Doolittle (4-1) suffered his first loss of the season on the mound for Virginia. He allowed five runs on eight hits in 6.1 innings of work. Brad Kledzik recorded the win for Wake Forest, allowing three runs on nine hits in five innings. Josh Ellis got the save, pitching 2.2 shutout innings of relief.
Wake Forest took an early lead with two runs in the bottom of the first. Brett Linnenkohl led off with a double down the right field line and scored on Austin Jones’ triple. Jones scored as Allan Dykstra reached on an error.
Virginia answered with one run in the top of the second. Beau Seabury (Mount Vernon, Wash.) led off the inning with a single. He moved to second on a balk and to third on a groundout. After Tim Henry (Fairfield, Conn.) drew a two-out walk, Miclat drove in Seabury with a RBI single.
The Cavaliers scored two runs in the top of the fourth to take a 3-2 lead. Patrick Wingfield (Winchester, Va.) led off with a double to left-center. He scored on an RBI single by Henry to bring the Cavaliers even, 2-2. Virginia took the lead when after a balk moved Henry to second, he scored on Miclat’s second RBI single of the day.
Wake Forest retook the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning. Dykstra got on with a two-out single before Willy Fox hit a two-run home run to left-center to give the Demon Deacons a 4-3 lead.
The Demon Deacons added three runs in the bottom of the seventh to make the score 7-3. Linnenkohl hit a one-out triple and Dykstra walked before Fox hit his second home run of the game, a three-run homer to right-center.
Wake Forest added a run in the bottom of the eighth to make the score 8-3. Pinch-hitter Evan Ocheltree led of with an infield single and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Keith Mauney.
The Cavaliers’ 13-game win streak was one shy of the school-record 14-game win streak set in 2004.
The series will continue on Saturday with game two between the Cavaliers and Demon Deacons. Jacob Thompson (4-0, 0.75 ERA) is scheduled to start for Virginia, while Eric Niesen (2-0, 3.10 ERA) will start for Wake Forest. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.