CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – No. 8-seeded Wake Forest scored five runs in the first two innings and did not look back in an 8-1 win over No. 12-seeded Pitt in game five of the 2024 Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Championship on Wednesday afternoon at Truist Field in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The Wake Forest offense was led by a game-high three RBI from Marek Houston on a three-run home run in the bottom of the second inning. Right fielder Jake Reinisch was 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in the Demon Deacons’ first at-bat, while catcher Cameron Gill added a solo home run in the sixth.
Pitt’s top three hitters in the lineup had four of the five base hits for the Panthers, as lead-off hitter Dom Popa was 2-for-3 with a double, two hit by pitches and a run scored. Catcher Jayden Melendez drove in the lone run for the Panthers with an RBI single in the third inning.
Picking up the win on the mound for the Demon Deacons was Zach Johnston (3-2), as he entered the game in the third inning and pitched 2.0 scoreless innings, striking out one and walking one.
The No. 22 nationally ranked Demon Deacons jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first two innings using a pair of long balls to deal the damage. Reinisch opened the scoring with a two-run blast down the left field line in the first inning, while Houston launched a three-run shot to left field in the second inning to push the score to 5-0.
Wake Forest would never surrender the early lead.
Pitt would push a run across in the third inning when Melendez singled to left field, scoring Popa from second base on the base hit.
The Panthers threatened once again in the fifth inning with runners on first and second and just one out. However, Wake Forest right-hander Blake Morningstar came through in a big spot for the Demon Deacons, recording back-to-back strikeouts to escape the jam and keep the score at 5-1.
In the bottom half of the frame, Wake Forest added an insurance run as Seaver King drove in Nick Kurtz with an RBI single. One inning later, catcher Gill left the yard with a solo home run and pushed the Demon Deacons’ lead to 7-1.
The Deacs’ Tate Ballestero Jr. came off the bench to deliver in the clutch, poking a pinch-hit single through the left side of the infield in the bottom of the seventh inning to put the score at 8-1.
Wake Forest (37-19) will return to the field for action in Pool A on Friday, May 24, versus the No. 1 seed North Carolina. Pitt (26-28) will take on the Tar Heels on Thursday, May 23, at 3 p.m.
