SantaFeToday.com Santa Fe’s Hometown News
By Arnie Leshin
Boom, boom, power hitter Brock Wilken kept Wake Forest from upset-minded 8th-ranked Stanford, 3-2, in Game 1 of the NCAA Division I NCAA College Baseball World Series Saturday afternoon,
Prior to that, the Cardinal stayed right in stride with a top of the heap Deamon Deacons that went through a 1 and 1-halt hour weather delay at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb.
It was the 76th annual top of the stage for the schools, and the rain fell heavy with Stanford up 2-1 after two innings. For the Winston Salem, N.C. program, it was the first time at the CWS since 1955, when it lost, and the previous time, 1949, when it also lost.
But this team was soaring in this double elimination. It had won its last six starts by a total of 75-16, and that was during the postseason.
But this was a true test. After Wake senior Terry Downs had began the first inning with an RBI double, back came Stanford with a walk, steal, and RBI safety from Manny Cardova to tie matters before the Cardinal added another tally in the second.
Then came the downpour. Righthanded junior Rick Minocci had taken the hill as the Stanford starter land was up and down. He came upon trouble at the outset, then settled down when the weather cleared, and was relieved in the seventh.
For Wake Forest, righthanded senior Joey Dixon was the starter and hung around for the first six frames. Sophomore southpaw Seth Keener, who became the winner, improved to 8-1 by striking out three of the four hitters he faced, and two in a row.
LSU (44-19) turned in a 6-3 victory over Texas Christian in Game 2 Saturday after breaking a 3-3 tie in the third inning. The Horned Frogs now meet up with Stanford Monday in a win-or-else encounter.
