Liberty University
17-19
Wake Forest
32-5
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LIBERTY | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 0 |
| Wake Forest | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | X | 7 | 9 | 1 |
No. 2 Wake Forest Outlasts Liberty 7-4
4/19/2023 10:29:00 PM | Baseball
Trailing Liberty 4-3, the No. 2 Wake Forest Demon Deacons plated four runs in the seventh inning for a 7-4 victory over the Flames, Wednesday evening at David F. Couch Ballpark.
A home run by designated hitter Victor Castillo, his first of the season, gave Liberty a 4-3 lead in the fourth inning, and Liberty pitchers were able to work out of trouble in both the fourth and fifth to hold the one-run advantage.
Third baseman Cam Foster also hit his team-leading sixth home run in the contest. Both players led the Flames with two hits in the game.
Liberty drops to 17-19 on the year. Wake Forest moves to 32-5.
Box Score Highlights
Records: Liberty (17-19); Wake Forest (32-5)
Location: Winston-Salem, N.C. (David F. Couch Ballpark)
WP: Will Ray (1-1) | LP: Cole Garrett (2-2) | SV: Camden Minacci (10)
 Scoring Summary
1st INNING – LIBERTY – Guy grounds into a double play, Kepley scores, 1-0
1st INNING – WF – Wilken homers, Kurtz and Hawkes score, 3-1
2nd INNING – LIBERTY – Foster homers, Castillo scores, 3-3
4th INNING – LIBERTY – Castillo homers, 4-3
7th INNING – WF – Kurtz homers, Costello scores, 5-4
7th INNING – WF – Johnson singles, Wilken scores, 6-4
7th INNING – WF – Lee flies out, Bennett scores, 7-4
Notable Numbers
- Each team had nine hits in the contest. Wake Forest committed the game's lone error.
- Liberty left six men on base. Wake Forest left 11.
- Reliever Cole Garrett takes the loss. He gave up two runs on three hits over 1 2/3 innings. Liberty's fourth pitcher in the contest struck out two and did not walk a batter.
- The Flames' seven pitchers combined to walk eight in the contest.
- Wake Forest reliever Will Ray picks up the one. He retired the lone batter he faced in the seventh.
- Third baseman Brock Wilken and first baseman Nick Kurtz each hit home runs in the contest for the Demon Deacons.
Turning Point
After Liberty missed a chance to add to its 4-3 advantage by leaving a runner in scoring position, Wake Forest stormed back with four runs in the bottom of the seventh. Left fielder Lucas Costello led off the inning with a single. Kurtz followed by working a full count and then lifting a home run just over the right field wall to put the Demon Deacons in front 5-4.
After the Flames went to their bullpen, Wilken and right fielder Pierce Bennett drew a base on balls. Second baseman Justin Johnson followed with an RBI single to up Wake Forest's advantage to 6-4. Three batters later, catcher Bennett Lee flew out to center field, plating Bennett for what proved to be the final score of 7-4.
Beyond the Box Score
- Wake Forest won both meetings with Liberty this season. The Flames also fell to the Demon Deacons 12-5 at Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium on March 15.
- Wake Forest has won 35 consecutive non-conference games at Couch Ballpark.
- The Flames finish their five-game road swing with a 3-2 record.
- Foster collects his sixth multi-hit game, while Castillo records his fifth.
- Hillier extended his reached base safely streak to a team-high 28 consecutive games by walking in the first inning.
Next Up
Liberty returns home for a three-game ASUN Conference series against the North Florida Ospreys this weekend. The series will open Friday at Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium at 6 p.m.
Featured in Main Photo: Victor Castillo
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Will Ray (1-1)
L: Garrett, Cole (2-2)
S: Camden Minacci (10)
Batting:
2B: Kepley, Kane 1
HR: Castillo, Victor 1 ; Foster, Cam 1
RBI: Castillo, Victor 1 ; Foster, Cam 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Kepley, Kane 1 ; Castillo, Victor 2 ; Foster, Cam 1
CS: Guy, Jaylen 1 ; Lazzaro, Jake 1
Batting:
2B: Justin Johnson 1
HR: Nick Kurtz 1 ; Brock Wilken 1
RBI: Nick Kurtz 2 ; Brock Wilken 3 ; Justin Johnson 1 ; Bennett Lee 1
SF: Bennett Lee 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Tommy Hawke 1 ; L. Costello 1 ; Nick Kurtz 2 ; Brock Wilken 2 ; Pierce Bennett 1
HBP: Tommy Hawke 1 ; L. Costello 1
