March 20, 2004
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Ben Ingold and Doug Riepe each hit home runs to lead Wake Forest (11-8, 1-1 ACC) to an 8-4 win over Georgia Tech (12-10, 1-4) on Saturday afternoon at Gene Hooks Stadium.
Wake Forest starter Kyle Young (3-1) picked up the win after scattering 12 hits over seven innings, allowing just three runs. He issued one walk and struck out four batters. Charlie Mellies earned his first save of the season by working the final two innings of the game.
The Demon Deacons took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning. Matt Antonelli and Ingold both singled before Steve LeFaivre followed with a two-out RBI single and Ryder Mathias drove in two runs with a double that Tech right fielder Clifton Remole lost in the sun.
A two-run homer from Ingold, his second of the season, gave Wake Forest a 5-0 lead in the fourth inning. The Deacons extended the lead to 6-0 in the fifth inning when Mathias doubled and scored on Matt Miller’s RBI single.
The Yellow Jackets strung together three straight hits in the sixth inning, including RBI singles from Micah Owings and Remole, that made the score 6-2. In the seventh, Wes Hodges doubled and scored on Steven Blackwood’s RBI single to cut the lead to 6-3.
Wake Forest added two insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to make the score 8-3. Riepe hit a solo home run to left field, his second of the year, and Antonelli reached on an error and scored on Brad Scioletti’s RBI single.
The Yellow Jackets pulled to within 8-4 in the top of the ninth when Patterson singled and scored on first baseman Riepe’s error, but Mellies induced a double play ground ball from Mike Nickeas to end the game.
Tech starter Brian Burks (1-2), winless in his last four starts, took the loss after allowing six runs on 11 hits in five innings.
Tech outhit Wake Forest, 14-13, including three hits from Patterson. Hodges went 2-for-5 with two doubles, while Blackwood, Owings and Brandon Boggs each had two hits in the game. However, Tech hit into two double plays and left nine runners on base.
Six different Demon Deacons had two hits in the game – Ingold, Antonelli, Scioletti, Mathias, Miller and Riepe.
Georgia Tech and Wake Forest will play the rubber match of the three-game series on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. Radio coverage will be available on WREK-Radio (91.1 FM in Atlanta) and on the internet at www.wrek.org. Live statistics will be available at www.ramblinwreck.com.
