Wake Forest Edges Duke in ACC Tournament

Tuesday, May 24

Durham Bulls Athletic Park

11:00 AM

Duke University

Wake Forest

Pitching a Strength for 2016 Blue Devils

Wake Forest Edges Duke in ACC Tournament

5/24/2016 3:53:00 PM | Baseball

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By: Duke Sports Information

DURHAM, N.C. – A Stuart Fairchild two-run homer in the first proved to be the difference as Wake Forest hung on to defeat Duke, 4-3, in the first round of the ACC Tournament Tuesday afternoon at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

Duke (33-22) outhit Wake Forest (33-23), 13-5, but stranded 12 and went 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position. Sophomore Peter Zyla led a contingent of four Blue Devils with multiple hits. Zyla went 3-for-5 with a run scored. Freshman Chris Proctor, sophomore Jack Labosky and sophomore Justin Bellinger contributed two hits each.

“Very proud of our club,” said head coach Chris Pollard. “We competed really well today. We've played really good baseball over the second half of the season. We just had a couple of opportunities with runners in scoring position where we didn't deliver. That's baseball.”

Fairchild opened the scoring in the top of the first. After starter Kellen Urbon (7-2) hit Nate Mondou, Fairchild sent the first pitch he saw over the Blue Monster. His fifth homer of the season put Wake up 2-0 early.

Urbon settled in after the first, yielding just two singles the rest of the way. He went 5.0 innings, allowing three runs on three hits in the loss.

“Credit [Stuart] Fairchild,” Pollard said. “He was ready for a fastball there in the first. Outside of that, really just a couple singles here and there. Kellen [Urbon]'s had a terrific year. Pitched great.”

Duke got a run back to conclude the second. Zyla's single to right led off the inning. Zyla then stole second and moved to third on an errant pickoff throw. Sophomore Evan Dougherty then came up with the two-out RBI single.

The Demon Demons countered with a lone third-inning run. A Jonathan Pryor leadoff single ultimately ended with a Mondou sacrifice fly to center after Pryor took second on a balk and advanced to third on a fly ball.

Wake Forest right-hander Parker Dunshee (9-4) pitched out of trouble in four innings, registering key strikeouts to keep the Blue Devils off the board. Dunshee fanned 10 over 6.2 frames, allowing three runs on nine hits.

To start the sixth, Wake Forest tacked on a fourth run, receiving a two-out RBI single from Gavin Sheets.

The 4-1 lead stood until the seventh when Labosky's 18th double of the year plated Proctor, who reached on a two-out fielder's choice. Bellinger followed with an RBI single, cutting the Demon Deacon lead to 4-3.

Duke nearly tied the score in the eighth after Zack Kone belted a leadoff double to the left center gap. Dougherty laid down the sacrifice bunt, but Wake Forest got a strikeout and lineout to center to end the threat.

The Blue Devils put men aboard again in the ninth after Proctor walked and Zyla picked up his third hit. Reliever Will Craig escaped the jam to earn his seventh save.

Duke awaits its postseason fate, hoping to earn the program's first NCAA Tournament bid since 1961. The NCAA Selection Show airs Monday, May 30 at 12 p.m., on ESPNU.

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