North Carolina State University Athletics
Rutgers Completes Series Sweep Of NC State Baseball
2/26/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Mike Popowski singled through a drawn-in infield to drive in the go-ahead run and spark Rutgers to an 8-7 college baseball victory over NC State, which committed a season-high six errors, five of them in the final three innings. The victory gave the unbeaten Scarlet Knights (6-0) a sweep in the three-game series with the Wolfpack (3-6).
Reliever Jim Wilson (1-0), who allowed the Wolfpack to score the tying run in the bottom of the eighth inning, got credit for the win. Eric Brown worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth to reccord his first save. Josh Miller (0-1), who allowed no earned runs in 1 1/3 innings of work, was the tough-luck loser.
NC State got off to an early lead in the bottom of the second inning. Colt Morton led off with a single and David Hicks walked. Daniel Caldwell sacrificed the runners to second and third, and Eric Mosley delivered a clutch two-out single up the middle to score both runners and give the Wolfpack a 2-0 lead.
The Scarlet Knights jumped ahead with a big inning in the top of the third. Leon Shade and Brian Ciemniecki led off with singles, and Matt Wolski sacrificed the runners to second and third. Val Majewski singled through the right side of the infield to score one run and put runners on the corners for Billy McCarthy, who grounded a single up the middle to score Ciemniecki with the tying run and send Majewski to third. Popowski followed with another ground-ball single, scoring Majewski with the go-ahead run and leaving runners at first and second. Brian Delahanty struck out for the second out, but Jeff Marciniak rolled another grounder through the infield to score McCarthy and give the Knights a 4-2 lead.
Rutgers added another run in the top of the fourth when Wolski reached on a one-out walk, stole second and scored on Majewski's booming triple to left-center to make it 5-2.
The Wolfpack fought back and took the lead with two runs in both the fifth and sixth innings. Jeremy Dutton hit a one-out single in the bottom of the fifth and Sean Walsh walked to put runners on first and second. Brian Wright singled to right to drive in one run, and Justin Riley grounded into a run-scoring force play to shave the Rutgers lead to 5-4.
Daniel Caldwell, Joe Gaetti and Mosley led off the bottom of the sixth with walks to load the bases with none out. Dutton singled sharply to right to drive in one run, and after Walsh grounded into a force play to expunge a runner at the plate, Wright grounded to second base to drive in the go-ahead run and give the Pack a short-lived 6-5 lead.
With two out in the top of the seventh, McCarthy drew a walk and scored all the way from first on a throwing error to tie the score at 6-6. Shade reached on a force play with two down in the top of the eighth, went to third on another NC State throwing error, and broke the tie by stealing home on the front end of a double steal.
Gaetti led off the bottom of the eighth with a walk and took second on Mosley's sacrifice. Dutton moved the runner to third with a groundout, and Walsh singled up the middle to drive in the Gaetti and tie the score at 7-7.
Majewski led off the top of the ninth and reached on another NC State error. McCarthy was up next and sacrificed, and Majewski moved up two bases on the play when the Wolfpack defense left third base uncovered. With the infield drawn in to cut down the runner at the plate, Popowski singled to right field with the game-winner.
NC State will return to action on Wednesday with a 3 p.m. game vs. Elon.
Rutgers 004 100 111 - 8 11 1 NC State 020 022 010 - 7 8 6 Wheeler, Santiago (6), Molchan (6), Bergmann (7), Wilson (8), Brown (9) and Popowski, Vasquez (9). Blanton, Combs (4), Miller (8) and Morton. Leading hitters - Rutgers: Majewski (2-for-5, 3B, 2 RBIs), Popowski (2-for-5, 2 RBIs), Marciniak (2-for-4, RBI), Lillis (2-for-4). NC State: Dutton (2-for-5, RBI), Walsh (2-for-3, RBI), Wright (1-for-5, 2 RBIs), Morton (2-for-4, 2B), Mosley (1-for-1, 2 RBIs). Records: Rutgers 6-0, NC State 3-6.
