Deacons Fall Short in a 7-3 Loss to Tar Heels :: Tar Heels Score Four in the Decisive Ninth Inning

Justin Keadle pitched into the ninth, but the Tar Heels scored four in the game's final inning to win Saturday's game 7-3 at Hooks Stadium.

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Deacons Fall Short in a 7-3 Loss to Tar Heels

Tar Heels Score Four in the Decisive Ninth Inning

April 3, 2004

Box Score

Winston-Salem, N.C. - Wake Forest led North Carolina for most of the afternoon, but the Tar Heels tied the game in the eighth inning and took the lead in the ninth on their way to a 7-3 victory at Hooks Stadium on Saturday in front of 1,418 fans, the largest crowd of the season.

The Demon Deacons (11-16, 1-7 ACC) took a 2-1 lead in the third inning on Casey Sterk's second home run of the year. Wake Forest starter Justin Keadle turned in a very good outing, pitching 8.2 innings and striking out six hitters.

Wake Forest led 3-2 heading into the eighth inning. Sammy Hewitt doubled off the center field wall and later scored to tie the game on an RBI single by Justin Webb.

In the eighth, the Deacons loaded the bases with two outs but Tar Heel reliever Kevin Brower coaxed Ryder Mathias into a groundout to end the threat, and the game remained tied at three. Brower picked up the win, his first decision of the season.

In the ninth, Keadle issued a leadoff walk and began to run out of gas. After a sacrifice, Chris Ianetta doubled into left field to put North Carolina on top. Moments later, Hewitt, who scored the game-tying run in the eighth, homered to center field giving the Tar Heels some breathing room.

That signaled the end of Keadle's day. He was relieved by Kirby Wedekind and received a standing ovation from Deacon fans. Keadle took the loss to fall to 0-3.

North Carolina (22-6, 6-2 ACC) added an unearned run off sophomore Kirby Wedekind to increase its lead to 7-3. Wake Forest went quietly in the ninth inning as the Tar Heels captured the series victory, their first in Winston-Salem since 1996.

North Carolina's win today is its fourth straight over the Deacons, the longest winning streak against Wake Forest since the 1992-93 seasons. The Deacons have lost eight straight games overall and are in the midst of their worst losing streak since a 10-game skid in 1987.

The series wraps up on Sunday with a 1:30 p.m. contest. Wake Forest will send sophomore Kyle Young to the mound and North Carolina will start freshman Andrew Miller.