April 18, 2008

Box Score

Box Score

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - Wake Forest led 2-0 early after Willy Fox's fourth homerun of the season but couldn't hang on as Virginia defeated the Deacs in comeback fashion, 4-2, at Davenport Field in Charlottesville, Va.

Fox's blast came in the top of the first inning after Ben Terry led off the game with a single to center field. The shot was a no-doubter. Virginia leftfielder John Barr could only watch as the ball landed under the `Hoo Zone sign in the top of the left field bleachers.

Deacon starter Garrett Bullock pitched himself out of jams twice in the early goings. In the bottom of the second, Bullock got Virginia's Jarrett Parker to strike out swinging to end the inning with runners on first and second base.

In the bottom of the fifth, Bullock was faced with the same scenario, two outs with runners on first and second, and got David Adams to fly out to left field to end the Cavalier threat.

The Deacs clung to a 2-1 lead until the bottom of the sixth when the Cavalier offense came to life.

Following a lead-off walk to Dan Grovatt and a bouncing single into left field by Tyler Biddix, Barr doubled to left field off Bullock to score Grovatt and Biddix and give Virginia its first lead of the game, a 3-2 advantage.

Wake reliever Brad Kledzik entered then and got Virginia's Greg Miclat to ground out to first to end the threat.

Kledzik averted disaster in the bottom of the seventh.

Following lead-off walks to Tyler Cannon and David Adams, Wake's Allan Dykstra and Tyler Smith provided the best defensive play of the night. Virginia's Jeremy Farrell attempted a sacrifice bunt to move Cannon to third and Adams to second but it didn't go as planned. Dykstra charged the bunt and threw to a completely outstretched Smith at third base to get the force out and ruin the sacrifice attempt.

Later in the inning, with the bases loaded, Kledzik's 3-2 delivery to catcher Franco Valdes was hit deep to right field and sent Evan Ocheltree up against the wall where he slightly leaned over the fence to make the catch and end the inning.

The Cavaliers added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth.

Bullock went five and two-thirds innings and gave up three runs on seven hits. Virginia starter Pat McAnaney went five innings and gave up two runs on five Deacon hits.

Dykstra was 1 for 2 with two walks on the night. Mike Murray extended his hit streak to 10 games with a single in the top of the sixth inning.

With the loss, the Deacs fall to 14-23 overall and 6-12 in the ACC.

The teams will meet again Saturday at 6 p.m. at Davenport Field for game two of the three-game series.

Wake right-hander Charlie Mellies will face Virginia's Jacob Thompson in game two.