North Carolina State University Athletics
Baseball Shuts Out UNCW 12-0
3/30/2000 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
The shutout was the first by NC State pitching since a 2-0 whitewashing of Massachusetts on March 6, 1999. The win snapped a three-game losing streak for NC State and lifted the Pack to 17-11 on the season. UNCW dropped to 19-11 with the loss.
Craig Lee went 2-for-4 with a triple and a career-high four RBIs, and Dan Mooney had three hits and two RBIs in four at-bats to pace NC State's 15-hit attack. The Wolfpack, which scored all 12 runs with two outs, took all the suspense out of the game early, scoring three runs in the top of the first and four more in the top of the second, leaving Blanton (1-0) to dominate the proceedings.
And dominate he did. After walking two of the first three men he faced, Blanton settled down and retired 16 of the next 19 men he faced. Two of the three Seahawks who reached base during that time did so via error. For the evening, Blanton allowed just one hit, a one-out single by ninth-place hitter David McKenna in the third inning. After walking two men in the first inning, he did not issue another base on balls, and wound up with seven strikeouts. Josh Miller, Kyle Stephenson and Mike Sollie each worked a scoreless inning to close out the shutout.
UNCW starter Brad Overton (2-1), the first of four Seahawks hurlers, took the loss after allowing six runs on three hits and two walks in just 1 2/3 innings.
The Wolfpack jumped to a quick lead in the top of the first when Ryan Strain led off and was hit by a pitch. After two fly balls to left field, Mooney singled Strain to third, and Josh Schmitt walked to load the bases. Lee followed with his first triple of the year, clearing the bases.
Jason Smith led off the top of the second with a walk and was sacrificed to second by Chris Goodman. Strain was hit by a pitch for the second time in as many innings, and one out later Mike Prochaska singled to drive in Smith and give the Pack a 4-0 lead. Mooney followed with a two-run double up the left-center-field gap to make it 6-0, and then scored when Schmitt reached on an error.
Lee added an RBI single in the top of the fourth, and Strain scored all the way from first base on a throwing error in the fifth to give NC State a 9-0 lead. Jamey Shearin belted a two-out double to drive in a run in the eighth, and Sammy Esposito closed out the scoring with a pinch-hit two-run homer in the ninth.
