Richmond Downs NC State Basball, 4-3

Saturday, February 16

Charleston, S.C.

10:00 AM ET

NC State

2-2

Richmond

2-0

NC State

Richmond

2/16/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

Feb. 16, 2002

Box Score

CHARLESTON, S.C. - Richmond scored three first-inning runs and then held on for dear life Saturday at Riley Park to defeat NC State 4-3 in the second day of action in the Charleston Crab House Shootout. The game was the first of two on the day for the Wolfpack.

The Spiders improved to 2-0 with the win, while the Pack, which lost its second one-run game in a row in the tournament, fell to 2-2. Richmond starter Mike McGirr (1-0) scattered seven hits, allowing just one run and two walks while striking out six in six innings of work. NC State starter Mike Rogers (0-1), a freshman righthander, took the loss after allowing four runs, three of them earned, on five hits in six innings. Rogers walked four and struck out eight.

Rogers, making his first collegiate start, struggled with his control in a long first inning, and that cost him the game. Brian Pritz led off the bottom of the first inning for Richmond with a bunt up the third-base line and was safe on an error. David Reamer walked, and the runners advanced to second and third on a balk. After Vito Chiavralloti popped out for the first out of the inning, Matt Craig walked to load the bases.

James Fasano singled to right-center to drive in two runs. Adam Tidball walked to reload the bases - Rogers' third walk of the inning - and Chris Dolan's grounder through the left side drove in Craig to give Richmond a 3-0 lead. Rogers got Bobby LeNoir and Harry Wilson on called third strikes to end the inning, and Rogers pitched well after that.

NC State got a run back in the top of the third when Jeremy Dutton led off with a double to right field, took third on a wild pitch, and scored on Brian Wright's infield single up the third-base line.

Beginning with the two strikeouts to get out of the first inning, Rogers settled down and retired 15 of 18 batters before back-to-back fifth-inning doubles by Fasano and Tidball gave Richmond a 4-1 lead. Rogers retired 21 of the last 25 men he faced before giving way to reliever Ben Hager in the bottom of the seventh.

The Wolfpack cut the lead to 4-2 with a run in the top of the seventh off reliever Tim Rice. Chad Orvella drew a one-out walk, and David Hicks lined a single to center field for his third hit of the game and his sixth of the weekend.

Brian Wright led off the top of the ninth with a solo home run to right field, his second of the season, to cut the lead to 4-3, and the Wolfpack threatened in the eighth and ninth against Rice and Cronin, loading the bases in both innings, but could not push the tying run across.