Wake Forest Beats Cincinnati, Reaches Knoxville Regional Final

    0
    0

    KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Marek Houston played a pivotal role for Wake Forest, going 3 for 5 with a home run, a double, and driving in four runs, in an impressive display that helped eliminate Cincinnati from the Knoxville Regional. The game, held on Sunday, ended with Wake Forest securing a 10-3 victory.

    Wake Forest, with an overall record of 38-21, will now face the 14th-seeded Tennessee in the regional final. The Demon Deacons will need to overcome the current national champions twice if they hope to advance to the super regionals, marking what would be their second entry in three seasons.

    Cincinnati, entering the game with a record of 33-26, managed to keep Wake Forest at bay when they played in the regional opener on Friday. However, this time they were unable to score until the eighth inning, by which point Wake Forest had amassed a formidable 10-0 lead.

    Austin Hawke and Matt Scannell each contributed by hitting home runs for Wake Forest, adding to their impressive total of 12 home runs over just three regional games.

    Pitcher Matthew Dallas had an excellent performance on the mound for Wake Forest, achieving 7 2/3 solid innings. His season-best stint included allowing three runs on eight hits and a walk, while striking out four, cementing his record at 5-1.

    For Cincinnati, Jack Natili managed an RBI groundout, while Christian Mitchelle hit a two-run double, both events occurring in the eighth inning to account for the Bearcats’ three runs.

    The game saw Wake Forest heavily challenge Cincinnati starter Carson Marsh, as they tagged him for four runs within just 2 1/3 innings, leading to a significant advantage early in the game.