North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State Baseball Upends Richmond, 4-3, In 12 Innings
3/8/2000 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Reaver had made an unassisted putout at second base on the play, retiring Andy Baxter, but he collided with Baxter at the bag as he tried to complete the double play. His throw rolled wide of the bag at first, allowing batter-runner Eric Mosley to reach safely and allowing Mooney to score the game-winning run.
Mooney's 12th-inning run snapped a pitchers duel that included three pitchers for the Spiders and seven for the Wolfpack. NC State reliever Corey Mattison (2-0) picked up the win after pitching a scoreless inning in the top of the 12th inning. Mattison allowed one hit and struck out two. Wolfpack relievers retired 23 of the last 26 batters they faced, including six consecutive men apiece by Mike Prochaska and Ryan Combs.
Richmond starter Bobby Basham threw seven strong innings for the Spiders, allowing just two runs, one of them unearned, on three hits. He walked four and struck out eight. Reliever Andy Givens allowed a run on two hits in 1 1/3 innings, and Mark Fisher (2-2) gave up just the unearned run in the bottom of the 12th in 3 1/3 strong innings of relief. Fisher walked three and fanned two.
The Spiders, who dropped to 10-5 with the loss, jumped to a 2-0 lead on G.R. Shalick's two-out two-run double in the top of the first inning. NC State tied the score at 2-2 in the bottom of the third on an RBI double by Prochaska and a sacrifice fly by Craig Lee. The second of the two runs was unearned.
Dan Phipps led off the top of the fifth with a long home run to left field, his first of the season, to give Richmond a 3-2 lead, but the Wolfpack scrapped back with a run in the bottom of the eighth. Lee led off with a single and went to second on a wild pitch. Two outs later, Andy Baxter hit a clutch single to right field to tie the game at 3-3.
NC State threatened in the 11th, loading the bases with two outs, but Fisher pitched out of trouble. He was not so lucky in the 12th. Mooney led off with a single to left field and went to second on John Whitley's sacrifice bunt. Baxter was intentionally walked to set the stage for Mosley, who grounded to Reaver for the game's final play.
