Baseball Drops Series To Duke

Sunday, April 29

Durham, N.C.

7:00 PM

NC State

25-24, 8-13

Duke

22-27, 8-11

NC State

DUKE

4/29/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

April 29, 2001

DURHAM, N.C. - Doug Bechtold drilled a three-run home run, and David Mason concluded a big series with a pair of hits and two RBIs to lift Duke to a 10-6 Atlantic Coast Conference baseball victory over NC State on Sunday at Jack Coombs Field.

The Blue Devils, who won two of three games in the series with the Wolfpack, improved to 22-27 overall and 8-11 in the ACC. NC State fell to 25-24 overall and 8-13 in the ACC. Zach Schreiber (2-0), the second of five Duke pitchers, worked 1 1/3 scoreless innings to get credit for the victory. He allowed one hit, walked one and struck out one. NC State starter Corey Mattison (1-3) took the loss. He pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing six runs on five hits. He walked three and struck out five. Two of Mattison's runs were unearned.

The Wolfpack patched together a run in the top of the first. Jeremy Dutton blooped a double into shallow left field and took third on Adam Miller's fly out to right-center. Brian Wright drove the run home with a sacrifice fly to give NC State an early 1-0 lead.

The wheels came off for the Wolfpack defense in the bottom of the fourth, and pretty much stayed off the rest of the game as the Blue Devils took the lead for the first time in the game. J.D. Alleva led off with a walk and Wes Goodner was safe on an error. Troy Caradonna singled to center field to load the bases, and Drew Jerdan singled to right to drive in a run and tie the score. David Mason drove in the second run of the inning when he reached on an error, giving Duke a 2-1 lead. Adam Loftin made it 3-1 with a sacrifice fly to left field.

The Wolfpack came right back with four in the top of the fifth on just one base hit, and all after two men were out. Duke starter Jason Dilucchio walked Jamey Shearin, Eric Mosley and Dutton to load the bases, and then hit Miller with a pitch to drive in a run. Schreiber was summoned from the bullpen, and Wright cleared the bases with a three-run double to right-center, giving NC State a 5-3 lead.

The Blue Devils came charging back in the bottom of the sixth when Jerdan walked, Mason singled, and Doug Bechtold hit a three-run homer to right, vaulting the Blue Devils back in front for keeps at 6-5.

That was the end of the day for Mattison. The Pack brought in Dan D'Amato, and he walked Loftin, who went to second on Scott Grossi's groundout and scored on Kevin Kelly's single to left. Kelly was out trying for second on the play for the final out of the inning, but Duke had taken a 7-5 lead through six innings.

Duke added two more in the seventh to go up 9-5. Alleva led off with a single, and Jerdan singled with two outs to put runners on first and second. Mason drove in one run with a single up the middle, and Jerdan went all the way to third when the ball was kicked in center field for an error. Duke then got a run on the front end of a double-steal attempt, although Mason was out at second on the play for the final out of the inning.

NC State shaved a run off the Duke lead in the top of the eighth when Daniel Pruitt led off with a single and scored on Colt Morton's second triple of the season, cutting the lead to 9-6. The Blue Devils got that run back in the bottom of the inning on a double by Loftin and an RBI single by Scott Grossi, making the final margin 10-6.