HOLLY SPRINGS, NC – Wake Tech Baseball picked up another crucial conference win on Tuesday, defeating Louisburg 19-11 in eight innings. The Eagles are now 19-17 on the season and 12-8 in conference play. They are currently third in the conference standings, only a half game behind Louisburg in second.
The Eagles put up three runs in the bottom of the first to give them an early lead. The first two came on a triple from Colton Penner, which scored Andrew Holub and Jason Jelic. Matthew Cipriano followed that up with a double that brought home Penner.
Louisburg followed that up with a three-run inning of their own to tie it at 3-3.
After that it seemed like Tuesday's game would go the way of the Hurricanes. They added three runs in the fourth and five in the fifth, leading the game 11-4 to that point.
The Eagles scored seven runs in the bottom fifth inning to tie it up. All of those runs came with two outs. Cadyn Schlechty started the rally with an RBI single to left field. Then, Kris Sydlowski hit his fourth home run of the season, a three-run shot to right field. Another run came in when Aidan Cannaday was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, and Cipriano followed that up with a two-run double.
The Eagles added five more runs in the sixth inning to take a lead they would not give back. Cannaday hit his second home run of the season in the sixth.
Those two home runs brought the Eagles' season total to 54. They lead Region 10 DII in homers and are fourth among all NJCAA DII teams.
Wake Tech added three more runs in the seventh and eighth innings, and the bullpen kept Louisburg off the board for the final three innings.
Anthony Michaelis picked up his second win of the season, throwing 2.2 innings in relief, giving up just one run. Patch Lyman recorded the final four outs, throwing 1.1 shutout innings.
This weekend, the Eagles will play their final weekend home series, taking on Guilford Tech. The Eagles swept the Titans on the road in the first matchup between the two teams.
The series finale on Sunday, April 7 will feature a ton of fun for Eagles fans. Before the game, the 2024 sophomore class will be recognized. There will also be festivities surrounding Wake Tech's Founders Day as part of Spirit Month. There will be free snacks and our inaugural Mascot Mania. Mascot Mania will include visits from Talon, Mr. Wuf from NC State, Ramses Jr. (RJ) from UNC-Chapel Hill, Phantom from William Peace University, Sal from the Holly Springs Salamanders, and Swoop, Wake Tech's Mascot Emeritus. The mascots will be at the stadium until 1:00pm. Admission is free to all games.