In a high-scoring baseball game between Duke and Wake Forest, both teams displayed strong hitting performances. Duke took an early lead with multiple doubles and a homer by Zac Morris, while Wake Forest's Seaver King hit a three-run blast. Duke maintained the lead with a solo homer by AJ Gracia, eventually winning 8-5. The game featured multiple lead changes and pitching changes, with Duke's Charlie Beilenson securing the win with a 9-out save.
Javar Williams triple scores two more Deacs, who have clawed back to within two runs at 9-7 here in the bottom of the 5th.
This is as bad of a half-inning as I've seen from the Deacs in quite some time.
Nick Kurtz shaken up on an errant throw from Austin Hawke in what has just been a disaster of an inning for the Demon Deacons.
Wake Forest has walked 4 batters this inning, 3 with the bases loaded. https://t.co/qjInDkls7m
Walked another run in. Deacs cycling through pitchers and none of them can throw strikes today
Walter being very careful here as this game could be over pretty soon. Bases loaded one out after the Deacs just walked one home. 4-2
Deacs with 2 warning track shots following the Rhino HR. 3-2 Duke. A few more Wheaties needed this morning
Back-to-back fly outs just shy of the center field wall end the inning for Wake Forest, but the Deacs get a run back off a Reinisch HR. 3-2 Duke. Leffew back to the mound.
Jake Reinisch gets Wake Forest to within a run again, leading off the bottom of the 4th with a homer. Can't tell if that was wind-aided or not ... but still impressive to get one out to CF today.
RHINO BOMB! Deacs within 1 after all that.
Great play by Seaver King to end the inning and reduce the damage. Deacs need some base runners here with the top of the order
Smooth play by Seaver King at shortstop to end the top of the third and keep another Duke run off the board. Blue Devils lead 3-1.
Massey gets pulled with runners on the corners and no outs in the third. Not a good appearance for Big Mike with 4 walks and a HBP
With runners at the corners and nobody out in the top of the third, Wake Forest coach Tom Walter goes to Haiden Leffew out of the bullpen.
Massey gets out of the bases loaded jam with a K and no more runs but he’s near 50 pitches already
Massey gets the strikeout to escape further damage, leaving the bases full. Hayden Leffew was getting loose in the bullpen.
Deacs fail to turn 2 and allows Duke to tie it up. Should’ve been out of the inning there
Duke ties the game on a fielder's choice in the top of the 2nd. Error on Austin Hawke, who had an inning-ending double play ball, stepped on second and threw a bouncer to first that Nick Kurtz couldn't snag.
Seaver King and Jake Reinisch hit back-to-back 2-out doubles, and Wake Forest scores in the 1st inning. Don't know that those were bad pitches from Kyle Johnson; just better pieces of hitting.
Back to back two out doubles from Seaver King and Jake Reinisch puts the Deacs on the board in the bottom of the first.
Massey allows a one-out single, but strikes out Bravo for the third out in the top of the first. No score and the Deacs coming to the plate.
Seaver Kings makes a play in his new position at SS to start the game.
Could've counted on the first play of the game going to Seaver King, Wake's new/temporary shortstop.
Live from The Couch for the rubber match between Duke and Wake Forest. Lineups below. Two-way freshman Kyle Johnson in a big spot for Duke, and Michael Massey in position to build off his fantastic start last weekend. https://t.co/ApUssN5iN3
Diamond Deacs going for a key series win in about an hour vs Duke. Sunny but a little brisk and a lot windy today. Should be a good crowd to make up for the conditions of the last two days.
Falco has to come in after all after Duke plates 2. 2 outs, Wake has already tied the program record for strikeouts in a game with 20. Let’s get one more and end it
Excellent work by Will Ray as Duke is down to 3 outs and Wake still holding a 6-1 lead
New game times for Wake Forest vs. Duke Baseball this weekend, with a 7 pm first pitch today and 4 pm Sunday. https://t.co/yl6zNnZl5h
New times for the rest of the weekend ⬇️ #MTFY | #GoDeacs 🎩 https://t.co/U7GNhlPocC
Seaver King was showing off his power last night 💪 The No. 7 player in the 2024 class had a three-hit day for @WakeBaseball ... including this MONSTER home run https://t.co/Za5YF0TfcN https://t.co/biMgfbEBhB
An anticipated pitcher's duel turned into an early innings slugfest, with Duke having more firepower than Wake Forest. And then, of course, it was rubber-armed Charlie Beilenson with a 9-out save to end the game for the Blue Devils: 🔗https://t.co/l5JmqsFBb6 https://t.co/TNzCEZVUXb
3 long flies and Duke beats Wake 8-5 in the opener. Both elite starters got shelled and the bullpens did better. Difference was Duke’s Gracia hitting 2 dingers and driving in 5. Most likely a DH coming on Sunday for the final 2.
Bases loaded no outs and the Deacs get nothing. That’s rare and deflating
Fielder's choice, strikeout, popout. NOTHING for the Deacs that half inning. Yikes. https://t.co/LADmnyYm1O
Reinisch walks and the bases are full with nobody out. Huge opportunity for the Deacs. https://t.co/W3PhMycAeE
Nick Kurtz walk, Duke pitching change, Seaver King single up the middle. Deacs in business in the bottom of the 7th, trailing 8-5.
Duke turns to rubber-armed closer Charlie Beilenson for, theoretically, the final 3 innings of this game. We're in the bottom of the 7th with Duke leading Wake Forest 8-5.
Gracia just destroyed one to right. Solo homer makes it 8-5 Duke.
A couple consecutive Wake innings without threatening. Duke is going to keep hitting our pen so we’re going to need to step up fast here
This is the most hits I’ve seen Wake give up in along time. Duke just spraying it all over the park. 7-5 bad guys as we go to the bottom of the 5th
Duke's Zac Morris hits his 7th homer of the season, a solo shot, to tie the guy who bats behind him (Ben Miller) for the team lead. Miller just blooped a double down the RF line and is 4-for-4 today.
Zac Morris launches one into the stratosphere to make it 7-5 Duke in the top of the fifth.
Wake chases Duke’s ace in the third inning. This game is going to take 4 hours it appears
Seaver King hits another high pitch -- not quite as high as his first AB -- out to LF for a 3-run homer. That was the first pitch after a mound visit, after Jonathan Santucci had thrown 8 straight balls. Wake Forest leads 5-4.
THREE RUN BLAST to left field. No doubter for Seaver King and the Deacs grab a 5-4 lead.
First two reach for Wake Forest on walks (Tellier and Kurtz) and there's a Duke mound visit. Seaver King up with two on and nobody out in the bottom of the 3rd.
Duke hitters finding the gaps in the infield here as they take a 4-2 lead in the third.
Seeing eye single through the left side by Clark plates another run for Duke, and it's now 4-2 in the top of the third. Two outs, two on.
Both teams with solid contact in the first inning against these Friday night starters. Winnay just lined one sharply to left. Two on and two out for the Deacs.
Both teams with solid contact in the first inning against this Friday night starters. Winnay just lined one sharply to left. Two on and two out for the Deacs.
Seaver King tomahawks a ball at his eye level for a 2-out double to score Marek Houston, who led off the bottom of the 1st with a double. Jake Reinisch singles up the middle on the next pitch, scoring King, and we're 2-2 in higher-scoring start than expected.
Seaver King lines one into the left-center gap to score Houston, making it 2-1 in the B1. Double for King.
Marek Houston lines a 3-2 offering one bounce off the wall in centerfield for a leadoff double for the Demon Deacons.
No. 1 @WakeBaseball vs No. 12 @DukeBASE Josh Hartle vs Jonathan Santucci on the mound This is going to be a good one 😈 https://t.co/Za5YF0TfcN https://t.co/PLvzhwTq2z
Flyout to shallow right ends the two-on, two-out threat for the Blue Devils, who get two across in the top of the first.
Duke has added 2-out doubles by Logan Bravo and AJ Gracia. We're a run away from hitting the over/under for runs I expected in this game ... though, Duke's offense has been scoring on just about everybody.
Back-to-back hard-hit doubles by Bravo and Gracia make it 2-0 Duke with two down in the top of the 1st.
Ben Miller dribbled a one-out double down the first base line, gets to third on a groundout to second then scores on a Josh Hartle offering that gets away from Wake Forest catcher Cameron Gill. Duke leads 1-0.