North Carolina State University Athletics
Kelly Pitches Tech Past NC State Baseball, 4-3
4/2/2000 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
The win lifted Georgia Tech to 7-2 in the ACC and 23-8 overall, while NC State fell to 5-7 in the conference and 17-14 overall. Kelly (4-1) allowed three runs, two of them earned, on nine hits. He walked one and struck out nine. Jeff Watchko pitched a scoreless ninth inning to record his third save of the season. Dan D'Amato (5-3) was the tough-luck loser for NC State. D'Amato allowed four runs, all of them unearned, on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings. He walked two and struck out three.
The Yellow Jackets took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Victor Menocal singled, went to second on an error, took third on a force play and scored on a two-out RBI single by Derik Goffena.
NC State tied the game with an unearned run of its own in the bottom of the second. Dan Mooney led off with a single, went to third on a throwing error and scored on a groundout. The Wolfpack made it 3-1 in the bottom of the fourth on consecutive one-out singles by Mooney and Craig Lee, and a two-run double by Josh Schmitt.
Tech tied the game at 3-3 with two more unearned runs off D'Amato in the top of the fifth. Menocal and Mark Teixeira led off with singles, and after Bryan Prince flied out, Goffena reached on a two-base error that scored Menocal and sent Teixeira to third. Basil grounded out to second base to drive in Teixeira with the tying run on what should have been the third out of the inning. NC State had a chance to break the tie in the bottom half of the inning, but left the bases loaded.
The Jackets took the lead and knocked D'Amato from the game in the top of the seventh with another unearned run. Menocal singled and Teixeira reached on an error. Prince sacrificed the runners to second and third, and Menocal scored on Goffena's sacrifice fly.
The Yellow Jackets threatened again in the eighth and ninth, but Jason Blanton stranded two runners in the eighth, and Josh Schmitt came out of center field to pitch and struck out Tyler Parker with the bases loaded to end the top of the ninth.
