North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State Baseball Thumps Winthrop, 13-7
4/9/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 9, 2002
RALEIGH, N.C. - Chad Orvella homered and drove in four runs, and the top four hitters in the NC State batting order had a combined 10 RBIs Tuesday night as the Wolfpack downed Winthrop 13-7 in a non-conference game at Doak Field.
The Wolfpack improved to 22-13 with the win, while the Eagles fell to 14-19. NC State starter Phillip Davidson (4-3), the first of four Wolfpack pitchers in a prearranged split, picked up the win after hurling three innings and allowing two runs on three hits. He walked one and struck out four. Winthrop starter Jason Terry (1-3) took the loss after allowing nine runs, eight of them earned, on nine hits in five-plus innings. He walked two and struck out thre.
The game featured seven errors, three by Winthrop and four by NC State, and the Wolfpack took advantage of two Eagles miscues to score a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning. With one away, Brian Wright struck out, but catcher Stas Swerdzewski couldn't handle the pitch for a passed ball and then compounded his mistake by throwing the ball past first base for an error. That allowed Wright to advance all the way to second. Joe Gaetti doubled to right field to drive in Wright, and Justin Riley singled to left to drive in Gaetti. Riley went to second on an error and took third on a groundout, but was stranded there.
Matt Butler led off the bottom of the second for NC State and singled. Jeremy Dutton erased Butler on a grounder to shortstop, but beat the relay throw and was safe at first. Dustin Murphy walked, and he and Dutton pulled off a double steal to put runners on second and third with one down. Chad Orvella got one run in with a sacrifice fly to left, and Wright followed with his sixth homer of the season, a two-run shot to right-center that gave the Wolfpack a 5-0 lead.
Winthrop got on the board with two runs in the top of the third. Todd Friedman led off and singled to center, went to second on a wild pitch, was balked to third, and scored on Todd Leathers' sacrifice fly. Swerdzewski doubled into the right-field corner, went to third on a groundout, and scored on Schmidt's infield single.
The Wolfpack made it 7-2 with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth. With two outs, Murphy bunted for a single and stole second, and Orvella lined a home run into the screen atop the left-field fence.
Butler led off the bottom of the sixth with a single up the middle, and Dutton walked. That was the end of the night for Terry. Jon Wilson came in to relieve, and he proceeded to walk Murphy to load the bases, and then walked Orvella to force in a run. Wright singled in a run, but Murphy was cut down at the plate trying to score from second on the play. With two away, Riley singled to drive in a run and make it 10-2.
The Eagles got back in the game in the top of the seventh, and did all the damage after two men were out. Leathers singled up the middle, and Swerdzewski smoked an RBI double off the top of the wall in right-center. After Benett Stapf reached on an error, Roberson hit an infield single to drive in another run. Matt Matkovich hit a two-run single to right, and a third run scored on the play when Butler's throw from right field went into the Winthrop dugout for an error. That made it a five-run inning for Winthrop and pulled the Eagles to within three runs at 10-7.
Murphy led off the bottom of the eighth with a single into the hole at shortstop, and was sacrificed to second by Orvella. Wright was intentionally walked, and Ryan Chenard came in to pitch. Chenard walked Gaetti to load the bases, and Riley rolled an RBI single to left. Jason Horner came in to pitch for the Eagles, and pinch-hitter Colt Morton greeted him with an RBI single to left. With pinch-hitter Tim Coffield at the plate, Horner made an errant pickoff throw to first, allowing Wright to score and give the Wolfpack a 13-7 lead.
