Eagles soar to tournament win against Fayetteville Tech

KINSTON, N.C. — Wake Tech baseball defeated Fayetteville Tech 8-1 on Friday afternoon in the opening game of the Region 10 Division II Tournament, advancing to play Cleveland tomorrow at 4:00. The tournament is double elimination, but a win puts the Eagles just three consecutive wins away from their first ever Region 10 title.

Timothy Pate (Soph., RHP) got the start and worked six innings, allowing just one run and striking out six. He departed after the sixth and made way for Chance Turner, who pitched the final three innings, allowing no runs, and striking out two. With three innings in relief to finish the game, Turner picked up his first save of the season. 

Fayetteville Tech opened the scoring in the bottom of the first, but it didn't take long for the Eagles to level things. Jackson Jones hit his sixth home run of the season in the top of the second, a solo shot to right field, to make it 1-1. 

The game remained tied into the fifth inning, with both starters working out of danger. 

Cameron Rickabaugh gave Wake Tech a 2-1 lead with an infield single that brought home Jentz Steiner. 

The Eagles added two more in the sixth, capitalizing on shaky command from the Trojans pitchers. With the bases loaded, Jake Mathis was hit by a pitch, scoring Blake Gaffney. Brendan Fulcher then drew a walk to score Jones. While they scored two, the Eagles left the bases loaded. 

In the seventh, Rickabaugh scored again on an error from the Fayetteville Tech first baseman, and Nick Schultz doubled home Gaffney to make it 6-1. 

The final insurance runs came in the eighth when Rickabaugh, hitting from the right side, hit a two-run homer to left field, his 10th blast of the season. Rickabaugh becomes just the fifth Wake Tech player in the last 10 seasons to hit at least 10 home runs in a single campaign. 

The win marks Wake Tech's first in the Region 10 Tournament since 2022. The last time they won two games at the tournament was 2016.