Liberty University
14-5
Wake Forest
17-4
Wake Forest Downs No. 15 Liberty, Tuesday
3/22/2022 9:35:00 PM | Baseball
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons defeated the No. 15 Liberty Flames 13-6, Tuesday afternoon at Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium.
The visiting Demon Deacons collected 16 hits, a season-high for a Liberty opponent, in the contest. Six Wake Forest hitters with two or more hits in the game led by right fielder Pierce Bennett who had a game-high four hits and hit his second home run of the season. Demon Deacons' first baseman Nick Kurtz added three hits including two home runs and drove in four runs.
Liberty shortstop Jake Lazzaro led the Flames with three hits. He stole a base, had an RBI and scored a run in the contest. Flames center fielder Derek Orndorff had two hits, one his 11th home run of the season, in the game. First baseman Logan Mathieu also hit his first home run of 2022 in the contest for Liberty.
The Flames fall to 14-5 on the season. The Demon Deacons improve to 17-4.
Box Score Highlights
Records: Wake Forest (17-4); Liberty (14-5)
Location: Lynchburg, Va. (Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium)
WP: Gabe Golob (1-0) | LP: Dylan Cumming (0-1)
Scoring Summary
1st INNING – WF – Turconi grounds out, Kurtz scores, 1-0
2nd INNING – LIBERTY – Orndorff homers, 1-1
3rd INNING – WF – Turconi doubles, Bennett scores, 2-1
3rd INNING – WF – Cecere singles, Turconi scores, 3-1
3rd INNING – LIBERTY – Mathieu homers, 3-2
4th INNING – WF - Kurtz homers, Hawke scores, 5-2
7th INNING – WF -Wilken homers, 6-2
7th INNING – LIBERTY - Mathieu scores on a wild pitch, 6-3
7th INNING – LIBERTY - Lazzaro scores on a wild pitch, 6-4
8th INNING – WF - Bennett homers, Kurtz scores, 8-4
8th INNING – LIBERTY – Lazzaro reaches on a fielder's choice, Hillier scores, 8-5|
9th INNING – WF – Corona singles, Cecere scores, 9-5
9th INNING – WF – Hawke singles, Corona and Reinisch score, 11-5
9th INNING – WF – Kurtz homers, Hawke scores, 13-5
9th INNING – LIBERTY – Orndorff doubles, Anderson scores, 13-6
Notable Numbers
- Wake Forest collected 16 hits in the contest. Liberty had 10 hits.
- Both teams committed two errors each and left 10 men on base.
- Liberty catcher Gray Betts joined Orndorff with two hits in the contest.
- Flames starting pitcher Dylan Cumming takes the loss. The first of seven Liberty pitchers in the contest, he gave up five runs on seven hits over 3 2/3 innings. He struck out two and walked one.
- The third of seven pitchers for Wake Forest in the game, Gabe Golob picked up the win. He pitched a scoreless 1 1/3 innings.
- Third baseman Brock Wilken had two hits and belted his sixth home run in the contest.
Turning Point
In the bottom of the seventh, Liberty pushed across two runs, cutting its deficit to two at 6-4 with two out. With runners on the corners, designated hitter Brady Gulakowski walked to load the bases with the Flames. Wake Forest went to its bullpen, bring in right-hander Camden Minacci. The right-hander was able to retire Orndorff to prevent Liberty from pulling any closer on the scoreboard.
Beyond the Box Score
- For the first time since restarting the series in 2018, Wake Forest wins a game at Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium. The Flames had won the prior three meetings.
- Wake Forest's 13 runs are season-high for a Liberty opponent, this season.
- Lazzaro records his first three-hit game in a Liberty uniform and his second multi-hit game.
- With two hits, Orndorff collects his fourth multi-hit game, while Betts records his seventh.
- Mathieu hits the 27th home run of his career. He is now 10th all-time on the program's home run list.
Up Next
Liberty welcomes the Stetson Hatters for a three-game ASUN series at Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium. The series is scheduled to get underway Friday at 6 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Gabe Golob (1-0)
L: Cumming, Dylan (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Nick Kurtz 1 ; Michael Turconi 1
HR: Nick Kurtz 2 ; Pierce Bennett 1 ; Brock Wilken 1
RBI: Nick Kurtz 4 ; Pierce Bennett 2 ; Michael Turconi 2 ; Brock Wilken 1 ; Adam Cecere 1 ; Danny Corona 1 ; Tommy Hawke 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Nick Kurtz 4 ; Pierce Bennett 2 ; Michael Turconi 1 ; Brock Wilken 1 ; Adam Cecere 1 ; Jake Reinisch 1 ; Danny Corona 1 ; Tommy Hawke 2
SB: Pierce Bennett 1
HBP: Brendan Tinsman 1
Batting:
2B: Gulakowski, Brady 1 ; Orndorff, Derek 1
HR: Orndorff, Derek 1 ; Mathieu, Logan 1
RBI: Orndorff, Derek 2 ; Mathieu, Logan 1 ; Lazzaro, Jake 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Anderson, Aaron 1 ; Orndorff, Derek 1 ; Hillier, Three 1 ; Mathieu, Logan 2 ; Lazzaro, Jake 1
SB: Lazzaro, Jake 1
HBP: Mathieu, Logan 1
