College baseball: VCU shuts out Deacons

Published 12:18 am Saturday, June 1, 2024

GREENVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Christian Gordon allowed two hits and struck out 13 in 7 2/3 innings and Cooper Benzin’s sacrifice fly in the fifth inning was the only run of the game in VCU’s 1-0 win over Wake Forest on Friday in the NCAA Greenville Regional.

The No. 3 regional seed Rams (38-21) will play No. 4 regional seed Evansville in a winner’s bracket game Saturday. Wake Forest (38-21) and East Carolina meet in an elimination game.

Gordon (8-2), a senior left-hander in his second season at VCU, recorded his career highs for strikeouts and innings in his 16th start of the season, most in the Atlantic 10. All-conference reliever Brian Curley gave up one hit in the final 1 1/3 innings for his third save.

Wake Forest never advanced a runner past second base and went three-up, three-down in four of the first six innings and would have in another if it weren’t for a fielding error.

Demon Deacons starter David Falco Jr. (2-5), making just his fifth start of the season, struck out 10 and allowed only two singles in 4 1/3 innings.

Eli Weisner singled leading off the VCU fifth, stole second and moved over on Jake Thilges’s base hit. Benzin then sent a fly deep enough to left to bring Weisner home.