April 15, 2012
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Georgia Tech held a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning, but Wake Forest took the ACC series with an 11-3 win over the Yellow Jackets Sunday afternoon at Gene Hooks Field in Winston-Salem, N.C. Brandon Thomas homered and was on base three times for the Jackets.
Jake Davies and Zane Evans also had two hits each for Tech, which built a 1-0 lead in the first and made it 2-0 in third, before Wake blew the game open with seven runs over the middle three innings.
The loss dropped the Jackets to 21-16 overall and 7-11 in the ACC. The Demon Deacons won their first series over Tech since 2002 and improved to 22-15, 7-11.
Thomas’ second homer of the season – a solo shot to left – gave the visitors a 1-0 lead in the first inning and the Jackets doubled the lead in third when Davies’ RBI single scored Sam Dove, who reached on a one-out walk.
After Wake scored twice in the fourth to pull even, Tech wasted a golden opportunity in the fifth with the bases loaded and one out. Thomas and Davies drew consecutive walks off starter Brian Holmes and Evans ripped a single up the middle to load the bases. But Holmes dodged the trouble by rolling a double play ball to preserve the tie.
Of Tech’s nine runners left on base, seven were stranded in scoring position.
Wake struck for three runs in the bottom of the fifth to put Holmes in line for the win, and the Deacon’s bullpen retired seven straight Yellow Jackets to keep the lead in check.
Holmes allowed seven hits with three walks and three strikeouts in five innings and picked up the win (6-1), while three relievers limited Tech to just a one run and three hits over the final four innings.
Freshman Cole Pitts was in cruise control early, but absorbed the loss (4-3) after working five innings with five hits and five runs (four earned) and four strikeouts.
Carlos Lopez had two hits and drove in three runs and Pat Blair had three hits and three runs for Wake.
Tech returns home for a Tuesday night game versus Georgia State at 6 p.m., then returns to North Carolina next weekend for a series versus the Tar Heels.
