NC State Baseball Rips Cavaliers, 10-2

Friday, May 17

Raleigh, N.C.

7:00 PM

NC State

30-24, 0

Virginia

25-28, 0

Virginia

NC State

5/17/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

May 17, 2002

Box Score

RALEIGH, N.C. - Joe Gaetti went 4-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs to pace the NC State offense, while freshman righthander Phillip Davidson twirled a complete-game six-hitter to lead NC State to a 10-2 victory Friday night over ACC foe Virginia at Doak Field. NC State improved to 30-24 overall and 5-17 in the ACC with the victory, while the Cavaliers fell to 25-28 overall and 8-14 in the conference.

Davidson (5-4) picked up the victory for the Wolfpack, allowing two earned runs and three walks, while striking out 11. Virginia reliever Shooter Starr (1-3) took the loss, surrendering six runs on six hits in three innings. He struck out two and walked four.

Gaetti led off the bottom of the third with his fifth home run of the season, a long blast over the net in left field off Cavalier starter Jeff Kamrath, staking the Pack to a 1-0 lead.

Davidson cruised through the first three innings, but ran into trouble in the top of the fourth, allowing both Virginia runs. After Matt Street walked and Dan Street doubled to open the inning, Robert Word ripped a shot down the right-field line to score both Streets before he was thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a double. Davidson retired the final two batters of the inning to prevent further damage. Davidson settled down after that, retiring 17 of the final 22 UVa hitters.

Kamrath gave way to reliever Shooter Starr in the bottom of the fifth and Starr immediately gave up a leadoff single to Gaetti. Brian Wright, currently on a 10-game hitting streak, then strode to the plate and hammered his 11th home run of the season over the wall in right field. Wright played in his 200th consecutive game Friday, the third longest consecutive-games streak in school history.

Starr's problems continued in the bottom of the sixth when the Wolfpack touched up the righthander for a pair of runs. Adam Hargrave and Gaetti laced singles to begin the attack for the Wolfpack. With a base open, Virginia planned to intentionally pass Wright to load the bases, but Star's first offering sailed over catcher Andrew Reisenfeld to the backstop, allowing Hargrave to score from third. One out later, NC State tacked on another run on a hard-hit double down the left-field line by Colt Morton, scoring Gaetti with the Wolfpack's fifth tally of the game.

The Wolfpack extended its lead to four runs with a run in the bottom of the seventh. Jeremy Dutton walked with one out in the inning and advanced to third on Hargrave's single to right field. Reisenfeld had trouble handling Starr's first pitch to Marc Maynor and the passed ball allowed Dutton to race home to make the score 6-2.

NC State put the contest away with four runs in the bottom of the eighth against Virginia's Paul Gillispie, an outfielder making his first appearance on the mound. Justin Riley led off the inning with the double to left and Morton walked to set the table for Chad Orvella. Orvella promptly singled to left, scoring Riley. Dutton followed with a run-scoring single to center before Gaetti laced a two-run double to left, driving in Orvella and Dutton for the final margin.

Riley went 2-for-3 for the Wolfpack, while Wright's home run in the fifth gave him his team-leading 67th and 68th RBIs of the season.

Word and Reynolds each went 2-for-4 at the plate to lead the Cavalier offense.

The two teams will meet again Saturday for a doubleheader to complete the series. The first game is at 3 p.m. at Doak Field. The second game, the final game before Doak Field will be torn down this summer, will commence 30 minutes following the conclusion of the first game.