By Phil Stanton
CBI Co-Founder/Editor
OMAHA, Neb. – It was Happy Hour in Omaha for the Demon Deacons.
Danny Corona sent a single up the middle to knock in two in the bottom of the eighth as No. 1 Wake Forest rallied past No. 8 Stanford 3-2 on Saturday afternoon in the first round of the College World Series.
Each of the first three games in the 2023 CWS have been decided by one run. Each victorious team scored in its final at-bat to win.
“We’ve had some excitement in these three games so far in this tournament,” said WFU head coach Tom Walter. “It’s a great win for our team. I’m really proud of our guys.”
The Cardinal (44-19) led 2-1 in the eighth. Nick Kurtz drew a leadoff four-pitch walk in the bottom of the eighth. Following a pitching change, Brock Wilken worked a walk on a 3-2 pitch to send Kurtz to second. Justin Johnson sacrificed the runners to second and third.
Following a quick meeting with third base coach Bill Cilento, Corona split the diamond with a base hit up the middle to bring home Kurtz and Wilken, giving the Demon Deacons (53-10) a 3-2 edge.
“Earlier in the at-bat when I chased out of the zone, I was looking for something up,” Corona said. “I told Billy that. He told me with this pitcher I should be looking down. So once I saw it go down in the zone, I was just looking for something to drive up the middle.”
Camden Minacci came in to close for WFU. He coaxed Temo Becerra (2 for 4) into a groundout to start the inning. Eddie Park then reached on an error. Tommy Troy (2 for 4) sent a bouncer up the middle that was fielded by second baseman Johnson, who stepped on second and threw to first to complete the double play, securing the win for WFU.
Stanford got on the board in the top of the first. Park served a single to shallow left on the game’s first pitch from Rhett Lowder. Troy had a base hit to left and Braden Montgomery drew a one-out walk to load the bases. After a strikeout looking, Lowder hit Moore on a 2-2 pitch to drive in Park to put the Cardinal up 1-0. A popout stranded three for Stanford.
After WFU was retired in order in the bottom of the first, Brock Wilken sent a 3-1 pitch over the bullpen in left as the Demon Deacons evened the score at 1-1.
Troy led off the third with a single for Stanford and was balked to second. A single by Carter Graham (3 for 4) brought home Troy as the Cardinal reclaimed the lead at 2-1.
The Deacons had a pair of two-out singles in the third, but a groundout ended the threat. WFU had a leadoff walk and a pair of two-out walks in the fourth, but a comebacker stopped the rally.
Stanford had two runners erased on pickoffs, both by lefty Sean Sullivan of WFU. Becerra had a two-out single in the sixth and was caught off first by Sullivan. Troy drew a one-out walk an inning later before Sullivan picked him off first as well.
Graham followed the second pickoff with a double that preceded a 1:24 weather delay for lightning in the area. No rain fell at Charles Schwab Field and the tarp was not pulled.
Lowder went 5.1 innings with seven hits, two runs, one walk and six strikeouts.
Joey Dixon started for the Cardinal and went 4.0 frames with three hits, one run, three walks and four strikeouts.
“In line with the first two ballgames, it was a good ballgame with a thrilling finish,” said Stanford skipper David Esquer. “Didn’t go our way this time. But I thought it was a great ballgame against two really good clubs. And the level of the game was really high.”