North Carolina State University Athletics
Rutgers Righthander Brownlie Shuts Down NC State Baseball, 4-2
2/23/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Sophomore righthander Bobby Brownlie, considered one of the top pitching prospects in college baseball, lived up to his billing Friday afternoon, hurling a complete-game five hitter and striking out nine as Rutgers recorded a 4-2 victory over NC State at Doak Field.
The loss dropped the Wolfpack to 3-4 on the season. Rutgers, which swept Old Dominion in Norfolk, Va., a week ago, improved to 4-0.
Brownlie (1-0), who walked two, was dominant from start to finish. Three of NC State's hits were infield hits, and another fell in for a single when right fielder Billy McCarthy slipped on the wet turf and was unable to come up with what should have been a routine fly ball. Daniel Caldwell (2-1) started and took the loss for the Wolfpack. Caldwell allowed four runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings. He walked two, struck out two, and hit four batters.
Brownlie retired the first seven men he faced before walking Joe Gaetti in the bottom of the third inning. Gaetti stole second base and came around to score when McCarthy slipped and fell while tracking down Jeremy Dutton's fly ball to right field. McCarthy, lying almost prone on his stomach, actually got his glove on the ball, but could not hold on as Gaetti scored to give NC State a 1-0 lead.
Rutgers, which failed to score in the top of the first despite loading the bases on three hit batters by Caldwell, took the lead in the top of the fifth. Tim Sweeney led off with a double and went to third on Brian Ciemniecki's single. Matt Wolski singled to drive in the tying run, and after Val Majewski moved the runners to second and third with a groundout, McCarthy was walked intentionally to load the bases with one out. Mike Popowski followed with a grounder to third baseman Sean Walsh, who gunned down Ciemniecki at the plate for the second out, but Todd Speedy singled in a run and Caldwell hit Ryan Lillis with a pitch, the fourth hit batter for the Scarlet Knights, to force in the third run of the inning and give Rutgers a 3-1 lead.
Sweeney singled with one out in the top of the sixth, and after Caldwell struck out Ciemniecki for the first out of the inning, Wolfpack coach Elliott Avent went to the bullpen for righthander Mike Sollie. Wolski greeted Sollie with a single to put runners on first and second, and after Sollie struck out Majiewski, McCarthy blooped a hit-and-run single to left field to score the insurance run and give Rutgers a 4-1 lead.
NC State worked Brownlie for a run in the bottom of the seventh. Mike Prochaska led off with a single and took second when Sweeney's throw from shortstop went into the dugout for an error. Colt Morton moved Prochaska to third with a groundout, and pinch-hitter David Hicks came off the bench and laced an RBI single to left, scoring Prochaska and making the final score 4-2. Brownlie retired eight of the final nine men he faced to wrap up the victory.
