WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Wake Forest Demon Deacons hit four solo home runs in Saturday's first game of an ACC doubleheader at Couch Ballpark en route to an 8-3 victory over Virginia Tech. In the second game, Bobby Seymour's three-run home run in the seventh, his second of that game, put his team ahead for good as Tech dropped the second game 8-7.
In both games, Tech took a 2-0 lead in the first frame. In Game 1, Carson Taylor hit his first collegiate home run, a two-run shot that also scored Jack Owens. In Game 2, Owens hit a solo home run to lead off the game and Kevin Madden and Luke Horanski hit back-to-back doubles to plate the second run.
However, Wake Forest (18-14, 7-7 ACC) scored seven unanswered over six frames in Game 1 to take control of the contest. Solo home runs by Bruce Steel (second) and Brendan Tinsman (fourth) tied things up and a four-run sixth was the game's difference.
Horanski added his team-leading eighth home run of the season in the eighth, a solo shot, but that was all the Hokies would muster in the defeat.
Despite surrendering the lead in Game 2 in the third on a Seymour solo home run, his first of the day, Tech responded back with a three-run frame in the fourth.
After doubling, Nick Owens raced home on a passed ball and Jack Owens scored on an RBI single by Taylor. Kevin Madden then knocked in Kerry Carpenter to make it 5-3
A frame later, after another solo home run by a Demon Deacon, Carpenter drove home Dalton Harum to give the Hokies their two-run lead back.
However, with two outs and runners on the corners, Seymour stroked his second of the day to put his team in the lead. Wake Forest added an insurance run in the eighth, which it would need.
That's because Nick Holesa would hit his first collegiate home run in the top of the ninth to pull Tech to within one. Jack Owens, who reached base five times in the second game, followed with a double and was standing on third before the final out was recorded, the 15th runner the Hokies stranded in the one-run loss.
Tech startes - Ian Seymour (5.1 innings) and Nic Enright (6.2) - both struck out seven batters in their time on the mound. For Seymour, it was his 10th time with seven or more, while Enright tied his career-high - both his innings and strikeouts were career-highs in ACC action.
Up Next
Tech and Wake Forest will conclude the three-game ACC series at David F. Couch Ballpark on Sunday with a first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.