Wake Forest headed into the weekend with a daunting task: breaking a series drought in Charlottesville that had lingered since 2002. After splitting the first two games, the Deacs had a chance to make history on Sunday, turning to freshman Troy Dressler for his first collegiate start. Despite a valiant effort on Friday, where they fell 10-6 with a late-inning rally that just fell short, Wake bounced back in game two with a powerful eight-run third inning and JD Stein's first career home run.
Dressler kicked off his collegiate career in style, retiring the first six Virginia hitters with authority, striking out four, including a dominant performance in the second inning.
Wake Forest's offense supported him early. In the third, a two-out rally brought in three runs. Luke Costello smacked a two-RBI single to left, followed by Matt Conte's RBI single to right, giving Wake a 3-0 lead and early control of the game.
Virginia, however, was quick to respond. After Dressler notched another strikeout to start the bottom of the third, the Cavaliers' offense ignited.
They strung together three hits, pushing across two runs to narrow the gap to 3-2. Dressler managed to limit the damage by striking out Joe Tiroly to end the inning, finishing with six strikeouts.
The Deacs extended their lead in the fourth. JD Stein, fresh off his first collegiate homer, stayed hot with an RBI double to right, scoring Blake Schaaf to make it 4-2.
It seemed like Wake was set to pull away, but Virginia's freshman right-hander Noah Yoder had other plans. He shut down the threat, stranding Stein at third by getting Javar Williams to ground out and Kade Lewis to strike out on a close call.
That missed opportunity came back to haunt them.
Virginia took control in the bottom of the fourth. After a leadoff walk to Harrison Didawick, Wake's coach Tom Walter called on standout freshman reliever Evan Jones.
Jones, usually reliable, struggled with command, walking Noah Murray. Kyle Johnson then delivered a crushing three-run homer, flipping the score and giving Virginia its first lead of the day.
From there, the Cavaliers dominated. They kept the pressure on offensively, while Wake Forest couldn't muster a response. After building a 4-2 lead, the Deacs were shut out the rest of the way, with Virginia outscoring them 12-0 to clinch the series victory.
Wake Forest aims to regroup on Tuesday night when they return home to face Elon at 6 p.m. They'll then prepare to welcome California to Winston-Salem for the weekend series, marking the Golden Bears' first visit as an ACC member.