NC State Baseball Downs The Citadel 8-2

Saturday, May 11

Raleigh, N.C.

7:30 PM

NC State

28-24

The Citadel

26-24

The Citadel

NC State

5/11/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

May 11, 2002

Box Score

RALEIGH, N.C. - Justin Riley drove in three runs and capped a five-run rally in the sixth inning with a two-run double to lift NC State to an 8-2 college baseball victory over The Citadel on Saturday night at Doak Field.

The Wolfpack improved to 28-24 with the win, while The Citadel fell to 26-24. Sophomore lefthander Nate Cretarolo (3-2) got the win after allowing just one run on three hits in five innings of work. He walked one and struck out two. Righthander Ryan Combs earned his first save of the season by allowing one run on two hits in four innings. He walked one and struck out five. Bulldogs starter T.A. Fulmer (5-4) pitched well but took the loss, allowing three runs, two of them earned, on six hits in five innings. He walked one and struck out six.

The Wolfpack took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third. Marc Maynor led off with a single to left and Joe Gaetti walked. The inning almost was thwarted when Brian Wright smoked a line drive into the glove of first baseman Chip Cannon, who easily doubled Gaetti off first base. Riley salvaged the inning with an RBI single up the middle.

The Bulldogs tied the score in the top of the fourth. Matt Dean led off with a single up the middle and went to second on a wild pitch. Jason Randall walked, and the runners moved up to second and third on Chip Cannon's grounder to second. Josh Stackley lined out to third for the second out of the inning, but Brooks Dantzler singled off the glove of shortstop Chad Orvella, allowing Dean to score the tying run.

NC State got back on the board in the bottom of the fourth. David Hicks singled to left leading off, but was erased on a force play off the bat of Orvella. Jeremy Dutton reached on an error, and Adam Hargrave's single to right drove in Orvella with the go-ahead run. Fulmer's 15th wild pitch of the season allowed Dutton to come home, giving the Wolfpack a 3-1 lead after five.

The Pack blew the game open in the bottom of the sixth. With one out, Orvella singled up the middle, Dutton reached on an error, and Hargrave singled to load the bases. Maynor bounced to Cannon at first base, but his throw to the plate was late. That scored Orvella and left the bases loaded for Gaetti, who drove in a run the hard way when he was hit by a pitch. Wright drove in Hargrave with a grounder to second, and Riley delivered his two-run double off the top of the wall in right-center, making it a five-run inning and giving the Wolfpack an 8-1 lead.

The Citadel cut the lead to 8-2 in the top of the eighth when Jon Aughey drew a one-out walk and scored on Jason Randall's two-out double off the right-field wall.