PONCE, Puerto Rico – The Wake Forest baseball team fell 8-2 to Houston on Friday morning at Estadio Francisco Montaner to open the 2026 season. 
 
Collecting 14 doubles as a freshman, third baseman Dalton Wentz picked up where he left off with an RBI double in the sixth inning to get the Wake Forest offense on the board. 
 
In his first game for the Demon Deacons, shortstop JD Stein roped a double to right field and came around to score on Wentz’s RBI double.

Junior center fielder Javar Williams collected the 15th multi-hit game of his career, singling back up the middle in the second and dropping down a bunt single in the fifth. 

 

Fellow junior Kade Lewis also added a pair of singles as he recorded his 25th multi-hit game in a Wake Forest uniform.

 

Sophomore Troy Dressler was solid in relief for the Demon Deacons, collecting a career-high four strikeouts while matching his longest outing of 2.1 innings.

Freshman lefty Ryan Brennecke tossed 1.2 of hitless relief, collecting his first strikeout in a Wake Forest uniform.

HOW IT HAPPENED


Junior first baseman Kade Lewis fought an 0-2 pitch off the hands into right field for the Demon Deacons’ first hit of the season, and sophomore catcher Matt Conte worked a walk, but that was all for Wake Forest in the top of the first.
The Demon Deacon defense kept the Cougars off the board in the bottom of the first with a pair of groundouts, including a diving stop by Lewis for the final out of the inning.
Starting pitcher Blake Morningstar worked another clean frame in the second, recording his first strikeout of the season. 
Houston took a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the third.
The Cougars tacked on another run in the fourth.

Sophomore reliever Troy Dressler logged three straight outs, including a punch out, to limit the damage.


Houston extended their lead to 6-0 in the bottom half of the fifth.
The Demon Deacons got on the board as they plated two runs in the sixth inning. 

Freshman shortstop JD Stein recorded his first collegiate hit on a double down the right field line.
Following a four-pitch walk by Lewis, sophomore third baseman Dalton Wentz lined a double into right field to drive in Stein for the Deacs’ first run of the game.
Sophomore catcher Matt Conte drew a walk to load the bases before freshman Andrew Costello reached on a fielder’s choice to plate Wentz from third.


Dressler and freshman Ryan Brennecke each recorded a punch out as they combined to hold Houston scoreless in the bottom of the sixth.
Brennecke added another shutdown frame in the seventh inning.
Houston made it 8-2 in the eighth.
The Demon Deacons fell to Houston, 8-2.

FROM COACH WALTER
“Disappointing day. Disappointing start to the season. It’s not the end of the world, obviously, but we need to pitch the ball better than we did today. We had 11 free passes today, and we only got two outs afterwards. Free passes are going to happen, but we have got to respond and get big outs after those walks, and we didn’t do that today. We had a chance with the bases loaded with nobody out in a 6-1 game. We just needed a few better at-bats right there. If we had a few better at-bats right there, the game tightens up and probably ends a whole lot differently than it did. There’s a lot of good things to build on today. I liked the way [Ryan] Brennecke threw the ball out of the bullpen. I’m happy with the way that [Troy] Dressler threw and I’m happy with the way [Ryan] Bosch threw. A lot of good things to build on, but we’ll have to come out tomorrow and play better baseball than we did today.”
 
UP NEXT
The Demon Deacons will look to bounce back tomorrow night as they take on Washington in their second game of the 2026 Puerto Rico Challenge.
 
First pitch is slated for 7:30 p.m. and will be streamed live on Victory+.

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