Chase Burns strikes out career-high 16 as Wake Forest downs Clemson in series opener
Chase Burns showed why he’s the most dominant pitcher in college baseball.
Burns struck out a career-high 16 batters, and No. 12 Wake Forest downed No. 2 Clemson, 4-2, in the opener of a three-game series in ACC play Friday at David F. Couch Ballpark in Winston-Salem.
Burns entered the day leading all of NCAA Division I pitchers with 140 strikeouts in 12 starts. He added to that total against a Clemson team that had averaged 8.3 runs per game.
The right-hander twirled seven innings of two-hit ball. His only blemish was a solo home run by Jacob Hinderleider in the fourth inning. Burns lowered his ERA to 2.85 on the season.
With Burns showing signs of fatigue in the seventh inning after issuing a two-out walk to Jack Crighton, Wake Forest coach Tom Walter paid a visit to the mound. When Walter headed back to the dugout, without his ace pitcher in tow, he received a loud ovation from the home crowd.
Burns rewarded Walter’s faith when he struck out Nolan Nawrocki swinging on his 101st pitch of the night to notch his single-game career-high in strikeouts. Burns improved his record to 10-1. He struck out the side twice, in the third and sixth innings. He also recorded all three outs via the strikeout in the fourth, sandwiched around Hinderleider’s home run.
Wake Forest got a solo home run from Jack Winnay in the second inning off Clemson starter Ethan Darden for a 1-0 lead. In the fourth, Antonio Morales made Darden pay for issuing back-to-back walks, clearing the bases with a three-run homer to put the Demon Deacons ahead 4-1.
By the eighth inning, after Burns’ spectacular night had ended, Clemson’s bats were able to breathe a bit. Facing left-hander Zach Johnston, Blake Wright cut the lead to 4-2 after slapping a run-scoring single through the right side — one of three straight singles by Tigers hitters.
Clemson wouldn’t get any closer. With the tying run on base, Cam Cannarella swung through a breaking ball well up and in for the second out. After Walter went to his bullpen, right-hander Cole Roland struck out Jimmy Obertop on three pitches to end the threat.
Roland returned to pitch the ninth and faced the minimum when he retired Nawrocki on a fly ball to shallow right for the final out. Roland notched his fifth save of the season.
Darden (5-3) suffered the loss for Clemson, allowing all four Wake Forest runs on six hits in seven innings. The left-hander struck out four and walked three. Hinderleider (2-for-4) led the Tigers at the plate with two hits, including his 12th home run.
Clemson fell to 37-11 overall and 17-8 in conference play. Wake Forest improved to 34-16 overall and 13-12 in the ACC. The Deacs have won seven straight contests.
Game 2 of the series is scheduled for 4 p.m. Saturday. Left-hander Tristan Smith will start for the Tigers and face Wake Forest right-hander David Falco. The game can be seen on ACC Network.
