WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Cardinal bats came alive on Saturday, plating a combined 19 runs on 23 hits, including seven home runs, but Stanford dropped both ends of a high-scoring doubleheader by scores of 12-9 and 14-10 at No. 15 Wake Forest.
With the doubleheader sweep, the Demon Deacons (15-1, 3-0 ACC) swept Stanford (5-10, 0-3 ACC) in the ACC-opening three-game series.
After entering as a defensive replacement and going 1-for-1 in game one of the doubleheader, junior Eric Jeon had a stellar second game, finishing 3-for-5 with a pair of homers, a double, three runs scored and three RBIs. Sophomore Charlie Bates also connected for a pair of homers on Saturday, launching one in each of the Saturday contests. Jimmy Nati, Teddy Tokheim and Brock Ketelsen also homered, with Ketelsen’s blast in the second game serving as his first career longball.
Jeon is the first Cardinal player to record two homers in a game since Jimmy Nati connected for a pair vs. Grand Canyon on May 10, 2025. He is also the first Cardinal to record 10 total bases in a game since Nati had 10 vs. Arizona State on May 12, 2024.
Stanford, which trailed 11-3 after five innings in game one thanks in large part to a six-run fourth from Wake Forest, managed to eventually bring the tying run to the plate in the top of the ninth. After trading a run in the seventh, Stanford scored three times in the eighth and twice in the ninth, but Wake Forest summoned Evan Jones to face Rintaro Sasaki with two in scoring position and two outs, and Jones induced a dribbler up the first base line to retire the side and seal the victory – locking up his second save of the year.
Sasaki, who was once again hitting leadoff in the order, had been 2-for-4 with a double to that point in the game. Bates also finished game one with two hits, going 2-for-3, with a homer and two driven in.
Despite Stanford getting on the board first for the third consecutive game, the Cardinal was once again forced to play catch-up in the second game of the doubleheader as Wake Forest answered a Bates homer in the first with a five-run home half of the inning.
The Cardinal managed to draw back even with two runs in the second and two more in the third – the latter two coming on Jeon’s first homer of the ninth – as the game was deadlocked 5-5 headed to the bottom of the third.
As it did throughout the series, Wake Forest answered Stanford’s offense with some of its own in the bottom of the third, scoring four runs to claim a lead it would not relinquish the rest of the way.
Stanford did manage to claw within a run at 9-8 in the fifth inning as Jeon connected for his second homer of the night, and then again at 10-9 in the seventh when Ketelsen deposited a 3-2 pitch over the wall in left-center field. Stanford was still within a run in the top of the eighth as a bases-loaded walk forced in a run and pushed the tally to 11-10. Stanford had a chance for more in the inning, as Jeon came to the plate with the bags full and only one out, but hit a chopper to third that was relayed home to force out the lead runner. A groundout followed one play later as the Cardinal left the bags loaded – three of the nine Stanford runners left on base in the game.
Desperately trying to hold the line at one run, Stanford was unable to hang a zero in the bottom of the eighth as Wake Forest plated three runs on four hits – including the second home run of the game from Luke Costello.
Costello finished the second game 3-for-4 with three runs scored and five RBIs.
Now leading 14-10 headed to the ninth, Wake Forest made the move to Cameron Bagwell to get the final three outs. The right-hander retired the side in order to lock up the doubleheader and series sweep.
Stanford starter Aidan Keenan was saddled with the loss and dropped to 0-3 after allowing five runs on six hits and four walks over 3 1/3 innings in game one. Chris Levonas earned the victory and moved to 4-0 while working five innings and allowing three runs.
Trevor Moore took the loss in game two after allowing four runs over two innings out of the bullpen. The right-hander dropped to 1-1, while Demon Deacon reliever Troy Dressler improved to 3-0 with the win.
Stanford, which has dropped six consecutive games for the first time since dropping 10 straight from May 3-18, 2024, will return to The Farm on Wednesday to host Nevada at 6:05 p.m.