May 20, 2004

Box Score

Winston-Salem, N.C. - The Wake Forest baseball team nearly completed one of the most improbable comebacks of all-time but fell just short to 22nd-ranked Florida State 11-10 on Thursday afternoon at Hooks Stadium. It was the 10th one-run loss for the Demon Deacons this season.

All seemed lost for the Deacons when they entered the bottom of the eighth trailing 9-0.

Florida State shortstop Stephen Drew had already hit for the cycle, Aaron Cheesman was 4-for-4 at the plate and Seminole starter Rhett James was cruising along, having allowed just one baserunner after the fourth inning. But with one out, the Wake Forest bats woke up. Matt Miller and Casey Sterk each singled. Moments later, Matt Antonelli singled to score both those runs. Ben Ingold singled to put runners on first and second base.

That prompted a trip to the pitcher's mound by Florida State coach Mike Martin. But Steve LeFaivre drilled the next pitch down the right field line for a three-run homer, cutting the Seminole lead to 9-5.

Martin returned to the mound to make a pitching change, bringing in Hunter Davis who promptly walked Brad Scioletti on four pitches. Then, Florida State turned to closer Kevin Lynch who got a groundout to end the inning.

The Seminoles added two runs in the ninth inning on RBIs from Matt Sauls and Shane Robinson off Deacon reliever Daniel Davidson. At the time, those runs seemed to be icing on Florida State's cake as they took an 11-5 lead into the bottom of the ninth.

But Wake Forest wasn't finished.

Reliever Tyler Chambliss to begin the ninth for the Seminoles. In an unusual move, Lynch, the Florida State closer stayed in the game to play left field. It would be a decision that would pay off later for FSU.

Doug Riepe led off with a tailing line drive into right center field which was caught on a dive by Robinson for the first out. Then, Miller hit his third home run of the season over the right field fence.

Sterk reached on an error by third baseman Dennis Anderson, Nick Blue was hit by pitch and Antonelli reached on a fielder's choice by Seminole second baseman Bryan Zech dropped a throw which would been a force out.

Now, the bases were loaded with the tying run on deck. The Seminoles opted to bring Lynch back to the mound from left field. He got Ingold to strike out looking, putting the Deacons down to their last out.

But for the second time in as many innings and the 12th time this year, LeFaivre went deep, this time a grand slam. It sliced the Seminole lead all the way to 11-10.

Scioletti would walk to bring up J.B. Tucker but he flied out to center field to end the game.

It was LeFaivre's third grand slam of the year and his second seven RBI game of the season. The last Deacon to have a pair of seven RBI games in the same season was Jon Palmieri who did it in 1999 against Siena and UNC Asheville.

James got the win to improve to 8-2 on the year. Justin Keadle lasted six innings, gave up five runs on nine hits with five strikeouts and a walk. He dropped to 3-4. Lynch, who was Florida State's third and fifth pitcher of the day, got his fifth save, despite allowing the LeFaivre grand slam.

Drew became the first Seminole to hit for the cycle since 2000. After striking out in the first, he singled in the third, doubled in the fifth, homered in the seventh and tripled in the eighth. He finished 4-for-5 with three RBI and three runs scored.

Wake Forest slipped to 17-30 overall and 4-18 in the ACC. The Deacons are 2-10 in one-run games and 3-16 in games decided by two runs or less. Florida State upped its record to 35-19, 14-8 in the league.

The series continues on Friday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. at Hooks Stadium. Wake Forest's Kyle Young will oppose Eddie Cannon of the Seminoles.