March 5, 2008

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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Demon Deacons cruised past Triad-rival UNC Greensboro, 13-6, to give head coach Rick Rembielak his 100th victory at Wake Forest Wednesday afternoon at Hooks Stadium.

With the win, Wake moves to 5-4 on the year. The Spartans have their four-game winning streak snapped and drop to 5-2 overall.

Rembielak is now 100-85 in his fourth season at the helm of the Deacons. He holds a career record of 473-336-1 in his 15th season overall as a head coach.

Steven Brooks hit the first grand slam by a Deacon in over two years, and Wake Forest pounded out a season-high 17 hits to give Rembielak the milestone victory.

In addition to Brooks' four RBIs, Andy Goff, Dustin Hood, Evan Ocheltree and Ian Tomkins drove in two runs apiece to lead the offense. Ocheltree was 3-for-5 with three runs score, while Goff was 3-for-4 on the day.

Freshman reliever Ryan McGrath (1-0) earned his first collegiate victory in a scorer's decision. McGrath pitched just 2/3 of an inning but managed to get the Deacons out of a bases-loaded jam early in the game.

Wake Forest fell behind early as UNCG's Ricky Orton opened up the scoring with a lead-off home run in the second. Orton launched a 1-1 pitch from starter Joel Ernst over the 370 mark in right centerfield to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.

The Deacs came right back with two runs of its own in the bottom half of the second. Allan Dykstra led off with a double to the gap in right center, hustling to slide in to second just before the tag. One out later, Hood laced a single through the left side to score Dykstra.

Tomkins kept the rally alive with a two-out single through the left side, putting two on for Goff. Goff responded with a single to right, scoring Hood who slid around the tag of UNCG catcher Adam Deleo.

The Deacons added three more runs in the third. Willy Fox led off with a single, stole second and then stole third after a walk to Dykstra, who also took second on the play. Brett Linnenkohl walked to load the bases for Hood. Hood drove in Fox with a groundout to third, as Spartan third baseman Ray Quinones made a diving stop on Hood's grounder.

One out later, Tomkins looped a single to center to score Dykstra and Linnenkohl, chasing UNCG starter Alex Shelton and giving Wake a 5-1 advantage.

UNC Greensboro cut the margin in half with two runs in the fourth. A Sean Snell sacrifice fly scored Greg Feltes, who had led off the frame with a single. The Spartans proceeded to load the bases on Ernst, who was then relieved by McGrath. McGrath hit his first batter before retiring the side with the lead still intact.

After going scoreless in the fourth, Wake Forest put four on the board in the fifth courtesy of Brooks' grand slam. Ocheltree, Goff and Terry all singled to load the bases with two outs. Brooks followed by driving a 3-2 pitch from reliever Warren Slack over the rightfield fence, giving Wake a 9-3 lead.

Brooks' grand slam was the first by a Deacon since Brendan Enick against Xavier on Feb. 28, 2006.

The Spartans fought back with three runs in the sixth, cutting the deficit to 9-6. UNCG loaded the bases on Mark Adzick, and Alex Wiesner was brought in to get out of the jam. Wiesner looked to have an inning-ending double play ball, but the Deacons botched the flip at second, allowing a run to score. Two more runs came in before the rally was finally squelched.

The Deacons got two of the runs back in the bottom of the sixth. Hood reached on a two-out error, and Ocheltree followed with a double to left center. UNCG then walked three straight batters (Mike Murray, Goff and Terry) to bring in two unearned runs and push Wake Forest's lead to 11-6.

Wake added two more runs in the eighth. Pinch hitter Weldon Woodall led off with a single, and Ocheltree followed with his first home run of the season, a two-run shot to rightfield.

Ernst went 3 1/3 innings in his first start of the season. He allowed three runs on seven hits with two strikeouts and a walk.

Relievers Phil Negus and Brad Kledzik combined to hold the Spartans scoreless over the final three innings. Negus did not allow a runner in either the seventh or eighth, while Kledzik did the same in the ninth.

Terry extended his hitting streak to six games with a single in the fourth.

Shelton (0-1) suffered the loss for UNCG. Shelton lasted 2 2/3 innings, allowing five runs on six hits with three walks and a strikeout.

Snell drove in two runs for the Spartans, while Feltes and Orton had two hits apiece in the loss.

Wake Forest has now won five straight against UNC Greensboro. The Deacons' last loss to the Spartans came in 2004.

Wake Forest is back in action this weekend as it opens ACC play with a three-game series against Clemson at Hooks Stadium. The series opens on Friday at 2:30 p.m. with RHP Ben Hunter (1-1, 2.25) going for the Deacons and LHP Ryan Hinson (1-1, 2.45) taking the mound for the Tigers. Saturday's first pitch will be at 2:30 p.m., and Sunday's will be at 1 p.m.