North Carolina State University Athletics
Morton Doubles Wolfpack Baseball Past VCU, 5-4
5/12/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 12, 2001
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Colt Morton led off the ninth inning with a double and scored the go-ahead run on a double play, and Josh Miller pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings as NC State ended its regular season with a 5-4 college baseball victory over Virginia Commonwealth at Doak Field.
With the win, the Wolfpack evened its record at 27-27, while VCU dropped to 37-15. Miller (4-3) blew a save opportunity but got the win after allowing two hits and a walk. He struck out one. Sean Marshall (9-2) pitched well but got the loss after allowing two runs on four hits in five solid innings of work. He walked none and struck out eight.
The Rams jumped to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Bryan Gillespie hit a one-out double to right field and scored when Joshua Arteaga tapped a grounder through the left side of the infield for an RBI single.
Jeremy Dutton tied the game at 1-1 with a leadoff homer to right field in the bottom of the first. Brian Wright followed with a walk and Sean Walsh extended his hitting streak to 16 games with a double to left-center, putting runners at second and third with none out. One out later, Jamey Shearin hit a sacrifice fly to center field to score Wright, and J.R. Riley singled up the middle to drive in Walsh and give the Wolfpack a 3-1 lead.
Jose Pabon got one run back with a leadoff homer to right field in the top of the second, and the score stayed at 3-2 until the top of the fifth. NC State lefthander Dan D'Amato got himself into a jam by hitting Matt Davis with a pitch, allowing a bunt single to Bryan Gillespie and walking Arteaga to load the bases with none out. Cory Bauswell flied to right to drive in the tying run, but
Kevin Elrod struck out and reliever Daniel Caldwell got Pabon to fly out to right field to end the Ram threat and leave the score tied at 3-3.
The Wolfpack broke the tie in the bottom of the inning. Adam Miller led off and struck out, but reached base on a wild pitch. Dutton singled to right, putting runners on first and third with none out. Dutton took second on a wild pitch, and Walsh hit a high chopper to third for an infield single that scored Miller and gave NC State a 4-3 lead.
VCU tied the game at 4-4 in the top of the eighth. Pabon led off with a single and was sacrificed to second base. Pinch-hitter Danny Lopaze greeted reliever Josh Miller with an RBI double off the wall in right-center, just missing a home run by a few feet. Joe Jackson followed with a line drive into the gap in right-center, but Joe Gaetti made a diving catch and easily doubled Lopaze off second base for an inning-ending double play.
Again, the Wolfpack answered in the bottom half of the inning. Colt Morton led off with a double down the line in left and went to third on Shearin's single to center. David Hicks pinch-hit and grounded into a double play, with Morton scoring on the play to break the tie and give the Pack a 5-4 lead.
