BOONE, N.C. – Appalachian State University baseball came up just shy against its seventh nationally ranked opponent in 2017, falling 5-4 on Tuesday night against No. 24 Wake Forest in front of a packed, 955 crowd at Smith Stadium
The Mountaineers (10-15) led three times in nine innings of back and forth with the Demon Deacons (19-7), falling just shy of the mark by less than three runs for the 14th time this season.
Appalachian was able to respond to a solo home run in the top of the first by Wake Forest with two runs off a leadoff single by Calev Grubbs that is advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jason Curtis. A Matt Vernon double down the right-field line brought home Grubbs before Tyler Stroup shot one through the right side to score Vernon.
The Demon Deacs tied up the ballgame in the second on their second of three home runs on the day.
Starting pitchers Bobby Hampton and Colin Peluse then battled for 3.1 innings scoreless innings, before the Black and Gold retook the lead in the bottom of the fifth off a solo homer by Conner Leonard – his third on the year.
Wake Forest took the lead in the sixth inning when it scored two runs off two hits before App State continued the close matchup by retying the game in home-half of the sixth when a Drake Zupcic suicide squeeze brought home Curtis from third.
The 24th-ranked Deacs then hit the go-ahead and eventual game-winner in the top of the ninth to get the result.
Vernon, Stroup and Leonard all led offensively for the Mountaineers with two hits each as also had all but Zupcic's RBI in the game. On the mound for App State, Hampton would go 6.0 innings and allow just six hits, four runs, while striking out five batters. Reed Howell and Tristan Helms also provided relief in the effort as Howell struck out three before Matt Brill came in to throw the final inning, striking out two and allowing one run.
