March 16, 2002
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Jamie D’Antona hit a three-run homer and Wake Forest rallied for eight runs in its final two at bats as the 11th-ranked Demon Deacons (16-2, 2-0 ACC) downed fifth-ranked Georgia Tech (14-3, 0-2), 11-5, on Saturday afternoon at Hooks Stadium.
Trailing 5-3 after six and a half innings, Wake Forest mounted a rally in the bottom of the seventh by scoring three times to take a 6-5 lead. Nick Blue led off with an infield single and Ryan Johnson reached on an error before D’Antona belted a 1-2 pitch over the center field wall for his fifth home run of the season.
The Demon Deacons added five insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, all unearned thanks in part to two Tech errors, making the score 11-5. Nick Blue and Stephen Ghutzman each had three hits in the victory.
Wake Forest reliever Brian Bach (1-0) picked up the win out of the bullpen, tossing 1.1 scoreless innings as the Demon Deacons rallied for the win. Tech’s Aaron Walker (1-1) took the loss in relief despite a solid effort after allowing three runs in 4.1 innings of work.
The Demon Deacons took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on a two-run homer from Ryan Johnson, his second of the season. A RBI single from Adam Bourassa gave Wake Forest a 3-0 lead after two innings.
The Yellow Jackets mounted a rally in the middle innings, scoring a total of five times in the fourth and fifth innings to take a 5-3 lead. Tyler Parker hit a pair of two-run homers, his fourth and fifth long balls of the season, while Jason Perry scored on a wild pitch.
Tech’s Victor Menocal went 2-for-3 to extend his hitting streak to 15 games.
The Yellow Jackets had several opportunities to expand on their lead in the middle innings, but each time failed to deliver with runners in scoring position and left a total of 12 men on base in the game.
Neither starting pitcher figured in the decision. Wake Forest’s Tim Morley allowed five runs in five innings, while Tech’s Jeff Watchko was lifted after allowing three runs in 2.2 innings. The start of the game was delayed for an hour and a half due to a light rain.
Georgia Tech and Wake Forest will conclude the three-game series on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. Live scoring for the game will be available at www.ramblinwreck.com, while a live radio broadcast can be heard on WREK (91.1 FM) in Atlanta.
