Wake Forest Wins Series Opener over Duke

Friday, March 25

Winston-Salem, N.C.

6:00 PM

Duke University

Wake Forest

Wake Forest Wins Series Opener over Duke

3/25/2016 10:18:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score (PDF)Box Score (HTML)

By: Duke Sports Information

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Wake Forest put eight first-inning runs on the board en route to a 12-0 victory over Duke in the series opener Friday evening at David F. Couch Ballpark.

Eight of the Demon Deacons' starting nine recorded a hit in the contest and Wake Forest (15-9, 3-4 ACC) totaled a season-high 15 hits overall.

Wake Forest's offense scored eight runs on seven hits in the bottom of the first to take a commanding early lead. Eight of the first nine Demon Deacon batters reached base and Wake Forest sent 14 batters to the plate in the first. Designated hitter Will Craig belted a two-run double and center fielder Stuart Fairchild knocked his second home run over the right field wall.

“Until we go back and look at the film, it's hard to tell whether [Wake Forest was] just really dialed in or we missed spots,” said head coach Chris Pollard. “[Wake Forest] took really good swings, I know that much.”

The Demon Deacons added lone runs in the second and fourth frames before plating two in the bottom of the sixth. Fairchild led the way with a 3-for-5 performance, scoring four runs and adding two RBI. Joey Rodriguez, Nate Mondou, Kevin Conway and Johnny Aiello added two hits each.

Duke (10-12, 1-6 ACC) starter Bailey Clark (2-3) did not escape the first and suffered the loss. The Demon Deacons' Parker Dunshee (4-2) collected the win after throwing six shutout innings.

Blue Devil freshmen right-handers Hunter Davis and Al Pesto both pitched well out of the bullpen. Davis tossed 4.1 innings in relief, allowing two runs on five hits while fanning a career-best six batters. Pesto added two scoreless frames, striking out three without permitting a baserunner.

“Hunter Davis and Al Pesto came in and did a great job in their stints to keep the game as close as they could,” Pollard added. “And I thought we played good defense behind those guys. Very impressive work by those guys. They continue to climb the depth chart and they're going to play a more expanded role as the season goes along.”

Freshman Zack Kone went 2-for-4 to lead the Blue Devils at the plate, including a double in the second inning. Freshman Griffin Conine, sophomore Max Miller and sophomore Peter Zyla added a single each.

Duke and Wake Forest reunite Saturday, March 26 for a 4 p.m, first pitch from David F. Couch Ballpark. The Blue Devils' Kellen Urbon is set to take the mound opposite the Demon Deacons' Connor Johnstone.

#GoDuke