North Carolina State University Athletics
Brian Wright Leads Wolfpack Past Richmond to Complete Sweep
3/2/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
RALEIGH, N.C. - Brian Wright hit a pair of two-run home runs, and Ryan Combs struck out a career-high 11 as NC State defeated Richmond 10-3 to sweep their college baseball doubleheader Friday at Doak Field.
The sweep lifted the Wolfpack to 5-7 on the season while Richmond fell to 5-8. Combs (1-1) worked seven innings and allowed just one unearned run on six hits. He walked two. Spiders starter Bobby Bashom (0-4) allowed six runs, five of them earned, on seven hits in six innings. He walked four and struck out nine.
The Wolfpack took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on an unearned run. Wright reached on a force play, stole second and went to third when the throw went into center field for an error. Mike Prochaska grounded to shortstop for what should have been the third out of the inning, but David Reaver booted the ball for an error, allowing Wright to score the first run of the game.
The Spiders tied the game in the bottom of the fifth on an unearned run. Matt Reid hit a one-out infield single and went all the way to third on an errant pickoff throw. Bryan Pritz then singled to left field, tying the game at 1-1.
The Wolfpack came right back in the bottom of the fifth when Sean Walsh hit a one-out single and Brian Wright blasted a two-run home run to right field.
Walsh and Wright combined to ignite a big inning for the Wolfpack in the bottom of the seventh. Walsh was hit by a pitch and Wright homered to right-center, giving the Wolfpack a 5-1 lead. Colt Morton was up next and Bashom's first pitch to Morton hit the Wolfpack catcher in the back.
Nate Kuchta came on in relief, and he promptly gave up a single to Mike Prochaska and back-to-back doubles to David Hicks and Jamey Shearin, increasing the Wolfpack's lead to 8-1. Joe Gaetti worked Kuchta for a one-out walk to put runners on first and second, and reliever Andy Givens's wild pitch moved the runners to second and third. Walsh, up for the second time in the inning, doubled to left to drive in both runs and make it 10-1.
The Spiders added a pair of runs in the top of the ninth on a two-run homer by Adam Tidball.
