WINSTON-SALEM, NC – The North Carolina A&T baseball team played the 12th-ranked Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Wednesday in a rematch from a February 27 game played at World War Memorial Stadium.
The Aggies produced more offense than they did in the first game, but unfortunately, a 10-run third inning by the Demon Deacons helped Wake Forest produce more offense as well, as they defeated A&T 24-7 in seven innings at Couch Ballpark.
A&T lost the first game to the Demon Deacons, the No. 1 team in the nation at the time, 12-1. But the Aggies hit two home runs on Wednesday and got two hits apiece from senior Tre Williams and junior Canyon Brown. They dropped to 23-25 overall after the non-conference contest. Wake Forest, taking a break from Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) play, improved to 33-16 after Jake Reinisch had a four-RBI game.
On February 27, the Demon Deacons took an 8-0 lead over the first 4 ½ innings. But on Wednesday, the Aggies scored first, posting a run in the visitor's first. Williams started the rally against right-handed starter Ben Shenosky (W, 4-3) with a one-out double down the right field line. Brown followed with a single to move Williams to third.
Senior TJ Ash stepped into the batter's box and hit a slow groundball to Shenosky, who threw out Brown going to second. Williams scored on the play, and Ash reached on a fielder's choice to put two runners on with two out. Senior Camden Jackson ended the inning by flying out to center field. Wake Forest took the lead for good after the first inning, however, with a four-run home fourth off right-handed starter Connor Blantz (L, 2-3).
Reinisch tied the game at 1-1 with an RBI single, and Jack Winnay gave the Demon Deacons the lead with an RBI double. Adam Tellier helped Wake Forest score another run with an RBI sacrifice fly before the Demon Deacons walked away from the first inning with a 4-1 lead on an Antonio Morales RBI single. Brown ended the rally when he threw out Morales trying to steal second.
Brown has thrown out 25 base runners trying to steal a base. He leads the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) in catching base runners trying to steal.
Despite Brown's defensive efforts, the Demon Deacons added five more runs in the second inning, aided by a two-run double from Seaver King and a three-run home run from Reinisch. Trailing 9-1, the Aggies added a run in the third inning. Freshman Ellis Reid led off the frame with a single before advancing to second on a wild pitch. Graduate Tatsunori Negishi brought him home with an RBI single.
But Wake Forest took control of the game in its half of the third, with 10 runs on six hits, six walks and a hit-by-pitch. A&T made four pitching changes during the lengthy inning. A&T returned for the fourth inning and continued to produce offensively. A walk to senior Michael Logan and a single by senior Devon Rodriguez led to a three-run homer from junior infielder Enrique Wood to bring A&T's deficit to 19-5. It marked his third home run of the season.
After Wake Forest added another run in the fourth, the Aggies posted two runs in the visitor's fifth as Jackson belted a two-run homer, scoring Ash, who earned a walk against LHP Joe Ariola. Wake Forest posted four more runs before the game ended after the visitor's seventh.
A&T will play its final home three-game CAA series against the Elon Phoenix, starting Friday at 6 p.m., War Memorial Stadium. Game 2 begins at 2 p.m., and Game 3 is scheduled for 1 p.m.
