Wake Forest vs. App State: Baseball Home Opener

Final - Wake loses 18-8. Not pretty. In the last two games the team has given up 40 runs. That would indicate that this team has some pretty significant pitching issues to address. At this rate, the Diamond Deacs are going nowhere, fast.

Through top half of the 5th - The Mountaineers have poured it on in the 4th and 5th innings, scoring 4 and 3 runs respectively. Wake finds a way to get a couple guys on each inning but can't string together the hits to bring them in.

I've had to leave Hooks for class (the late start and long first inning means I didn't get to see as much as I'd hoped), but I don't think I'll be missing much. The Deacs just don't seem to have it today, plus it's miserably cold. If they pull out a big comeback, I'll eat my words.

Now in the bottom of the 5th Wake trails 13-3.

Through 3 Innings - Wake responded in the 1st with 2 hits and 3 runs of their own to make it a 6-3 game. The next two innings have gone on without too much action - no runs scored, but another 4 hits for App and and 1 for Wake. Still 6-3 for now.

Top 1st - Ugly Ugly start to this one at Hooks Stadium. I was hoping to see the Deacs come out and play well to start, but starting pitcher Matt Hammond went all the way through the Mountaineer's order retiring only 1 batter, giving up 5 runs, and leaving the bases loaded.

Joel Ernst came in to relieve Hammond and the Deacs gave up one more run to end the top half of the inning 6-0. Only 3 hits were given up in the first, but the two errors (which included a throwing error from Dustin Hood at Shortstop where he just under-threw the ball to first, and then a shallow fly to right field got lost in the sun) were costly. 4 earned runs and 2 unearned. Ugly start.

Also interesting to note today is that Allan Dykstra is playing third base today instead of 1st. Evan Ocheltree is playing first. So far I haven't heard an explanation.

I'm out at Hooks Stadium today for the Diamond Deacs home opening baseball game against App State. It's cold (38 degrees) and pretty windy, so it could be a rough one. App State comes in 2-2 and Wake is currently 1-2 after the weekend Series at Pepperdine.

Let me know in the comments section what kind of updates you'd like for these games. I feel like gametracker probably does a pretty good job with play-by-play, so I think my goal will be to provide color every now and then. Let me know and I'll see what I can do.

I'm going to have to leave at 4:30 so I probably won't see the whole game but I'll cover as much of it as possible. Here's to hoping the Deacs open the season in style.