Wake Forest Baseball (10-3, 0-0) experienced a rollercoaster weekend for the first time this season, as the Demon Deacons lost heartbreakers and experienced domination all across the four-game series against the Maryland Terrapins and Princeton Tigers.
Head Coach Tom Walter’s squad came into the weekend with no losses on their home turf at David F. Couch Ballpark all year, having swept their two series against Maryland/LIU and St. John’s beforehand.
Friday vs. Princeton
The Demon Deacons opened up the weekend with a pitching battle, as Logan Lunceford took the mound for the third time this year. After a tough start in which Lunceford let up a single run in the top of the first inning, Lunceford began dealing — including a 1-2-3 second inning.
After a mound visit in the sixth inning, the Demon Deacons turned to experienced reliever Will Ray. Ray, a fourth-year player out of Mars, Pa., did fantastic for an inning worth of work — until catastrophe struck.
After a pitch that Ray threw, he began to hold his arm and recognized that something was off immediately. After being replaced by reliever Luke Schmolke, Ray went through testing, and Walter later revealed that Ray tore a ligament and would be out for the season.
“When [Ray] walks in a room, he’s the guy making sure everyone’s going in the right direction,” Logan Lunceford said. “Everybody can lean on him. He’s fantastic.”
Princeton had an ace in their pocket, as well, as right-handed starter Sean Episcope earned Ivy League Pitcher of the Week honors for nine strikeouts in five innings. A two-run seventh inning allowed the Demon Deacons to make up the difference, and Wake Forest would win, 3-1.
Saturday vs. Maryland
The second game of the series had a heartbreaking loss for the Demon Deacons, succumbing to the Maryland Terrapins, 9-8.
Maryland got off to a hot start, scoring five runs in the first three innings. The Demon Deacons would bounce back, however, scoring six runs in the bottom of the third inning. Wake Forest launched two home runs in the inning, as both Kade Lewis and Jimmy Keenan rounded the bases.
In the top of the ninth inning, it all came down to a final strike. With one out to finish the game, the Terrapins found clutch hits from Anthony Calarco, Hollis Porter, and Jacob Orr, each of whom earned RBI singles to put the Demon Deacons behind by a single run.
Although the Demon Deacons came back and placed runners in scoring position, it was not enough, as Marek Houston popped out in foul territory to ensure the Terrapins’ upset.
“That’s as disappointing of a loss as we’ve had in a really long time,” Walter said afterward. “I thought we outplayed them in innings two through eight, and they outplayed us in innings one and nine. That was the difference today.”
Sunday vs. Princeton
In the second matchup against Princeton, the Demon Deacons ended up flat once again, falling to the Tigers, 7-6.
Wake Forest starter Matt Bedford did well for the first two innings, however, ran into trouble in the third, as the Tigers woke up their bats. A seven-run top of the fourth inning would give the Tigers a sizable gap to defend, and they did.
“It’s disappointing in the first game that we gave up seven runs with two outs,” Walter said. “We’ve got to find a way with two outs to make a pitch in that situation.”
The Demon Deacons attempted to get the offense going throughout the rest of the ballgame, including a chance in the final inning, when Lewis and third baseman Dalton Wentz each knocked in runs to put them down a single run.
Despite the late-game optimism, the Demon Deacons fell to the Tigers after Chris Katz struck out against Princeton closer Jacob Faulkner.
Sunday vs. Maryland
Wake Forest needed to bounce back after losing in consecutive games for the first time this season. With stellar pitching and a high-powered offense, the Demon Deacons did just that, defeating the Terrapins, 9-1.
At first, the game seemed like a pitcher’s battle, as Wake Forest starter Blake Morningstar and Maryland pitcher Logan Hastings held the game scoreless for the first five innings. They’d both finish with seven strikeouts each,
The Demon Deacons offense would wake up against Maryland pitcher Jack Wren, who let up back-to-back home runs to Ethan Conrad and Jack Winnay. By the time the seventh inning finished, the Demon Deacons were ahead, 6-1.
Wake Forest would add insurance runs in the next half inning after Winnay hit his second home run of the game, knocking in three runs to finish the Terrapins off, 9-1.
The Demon Deacons return to David F. Couch Ballpark this weekend as they head into conference play against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. on Friday.
