Bottom of the Wake Forest Lineup Delivers in Midweek Matchup vs Liberty
While Wake Forest's midweek matchup against Liberty may not have been broadcast on any platform, our coverage of the Demon Deacons doesn't stop. On Tuesday night, Wake Forest baseball secured a 7-5 victory over the Flames at Worthington Field in Lynchburg, Virginia.
For the Deacons, it was an uncharacteristic night for starting pitcher Duncan Marsten. The righty has been one of the more reliable arms on the Wake Forest pitching staff over the entire season, but managed only 3.2 innings against the Flames, allowing five earned runs on five total hits. He also walked four batters, elevating his pitch count to 76 on the night.
While Marsten may have struggled, the Wake Forest bullpen picked him up in spectacular fashion. Ryan Bosch, Zach Johnston, and Will Ray were lights out in relief for the Deacons, leading to Wake Forest eventually taking control of the contest. Left-hander Rhys Bowie earned his second save of the season with a scoreless ninth inning.
MADISON HEIGHTS MASHER 🥔 https://t.co/X1HMWGmnTk pic.twitter.com/oyyMGSyH6Y
— Wake Forest Baseball (@WakeBaseball) May 13, 2026
On the offensive side of things, the bottom half of the lineup shined for the Deacons. Andrew Costello and Blake Schaaf both recorded multi-hit games, with Costello accounting for three Wake Forest runs. JD Stein recorded two RBIs with a hit-by-pitch and a single in the early half of the game. Left-handed hitter Dalton Wentz hit his 16th homerun of the season in the top of the ninth inning to give the Deacons some extra insurance.
What's Next for the Deacons?
After extending their win streak to eight with the midweek win over Liberty, head coach Tom Walter and the Demon Deacons will close the regular season in Durham, North Carolina, where they will take on the Duke Blue Devils. The series will be a final tune-up for Wake Forest before the games truly start to matter.
As you probably already know, the Deacons aren't currently expected to host a regional, but that doesn't mean they can't play themselves into hosting over the next couple of weeks. Wake Forest's RPI currently sits at 17, and will likely take a hit no matter the result of this weekend's series against Duke.
While the chances of hosting based on Wake Forest's regular-season record seem extremely slim, the depth of the ACC could prove to be a saving grace for the Deacons. If Coach Walter's squad can knock off a couple of ACC opponents in the upcoming tournament, they could certainly play themselves into hosting contention.
Why am I pushing for a Wake Forest host-site, you might ask? Like it or not, this team hasn't been good on the road during the regular season. While the Deacons have dominated at The Couch this season with a 25-5 record, they've struggled to find the same success on the road, particularly against stronger competition.
I'm not exactly trying to doompost here, but the chances of the Deacons walking out of a regional don't seem very high with what they've shown in the regular season. That makes their final road series against the Blue Devils extremely important this coming weekend.
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Carson, a 2025 TCU graduate, is a sports journalist who covers college athletics for several On SI sites. While most of his experience is with TCU On SI, he also writes with Wake Forest On SI and Houston On SI. He also has a passion for the college baseball scene, most notably being a fan of TCU Baseball. In 2023, Carson was in Omaha and reported on the Men’s College World Series, where TCU finished 4th in the nation. His past work not only consists of major sports like football, basketball, and baseball, but with others like track and field and cross country as well.