NC State Baseball Downs UCLA, 9-6

Sunday, February 16

Los Angeles, Calif.

4:00 PM

NC State

3-2

UCLA

5-5

NC State

UCLA

2/16/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

Feb. 16, 2003

Final Stats

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Vern Sterry and Joey Devine combinied to give NC State a strong pitching performance, and Joe Gaetti, Dustin Knight and Adam Hargrave drove in two runs apiece to lead NC State to a 9-6 victory over UCLA on Sunday at the Bruins' Jackie Robinson Stadium.

With the win, the Wolfpack salvaged the final game of the three-game series with the Bruins and improved to 3-2 on the season. UCLA dropped to 5-5 with the loss. Sterry (1-0) was impressive in picking up his first decision of the season. He allowed three runs, all in his final inning of work, on seven hits in 6-2/3 innings. He walked three and struck out eight.

Devine, a freshman righthander, worked the final 2-1/3 innings to record his first save of the season. He allowed three runs on two hits, walking none and striking out five. Two of the runs against Devine came after the issue had been decided, on a homer by Preston Griffin with two out in the bottom of the ninth.

UCLA All-America candidate Wes Whisler (0-3) got pecked to death for six innings, allowing single runs in four different innings. He went six innings and allowed seven hits, walking one and striking out five.

Matt Camp led off the game for the Pack and did what all good leadoff men strive to do - get on base and score. Camp worked Whisler for a walk, went to second on a groundout and scored on Justin Riley's double down the left-field line.

Sterry got in trouble in the bottom of the first, but was bailed out by an excellent defensive play from Camp and shortstop Chad Orvella. Chris Jensen drew a one-out walk, and Brett McMillan doubled to left field on a hit-and-run play. Camp retrieved the ball in left and made a perfect throw to the cutoff man, Orvella, who wheeled and nailed Jensen at the plate.

The Pack added another run in the top of the second. Orvella and Marc Maynor both reached base on one-out infield singles, and then pulled a double steal. Orvella scored on Hargrave's sacrifice fly to left.

The Wolfpack added another single run in the top of the fourth when Jeremy Dutton singled with one away, went to second on a groundout, and scored on Maynor's opposite-field double down the left-field line. Knight's solo homer to left field in the top of the sixth inning made it 4-0, Wolfpack.

Whisler left after six innings, and reliever David Johnson immediately gave up a pair of runs in the top of the seventh. Maynor led off and was hit by a pitch and Hargrave walked. Joe Gaetti's triple to right field drove in both runs and gave Sterry and the Wolfpack a 6-0 lead.

Sterry, who had scattered five harmless hits through six innings, finally gave out of gas in the bottom of the seventh. Hector Ambriz led off with an opposite-field single to left field and Matt Thayer walked. Ryan McCarthy bounced into a force play, leaving runners on the corners with one out, and Kevin Conlin struck out. But Sterry fell behind Griffin, who belted a three-run homer to left, his first of two in the game, to cut the lead in half at 6-3. Devine came in at that point and cruised into the ninth inning.

Meanwhile, the Wolfpack conotinued to roll on offense. Dutton led off the top of the eighth with a single to right, and Orvella beat out an infield single. With one down, Hargrave singled to left to drive in Dutton and send Orvella to third, and Camp drove in Orvella with a squeeze bunt, lifting NC State to an 8-3 lead.

The Pack got one final run in the top of the ninth. Colt Morton hit a one-out double to right field and scored on Knight's single through the right side of the infield.

Devine ran into some trouble in the bottom of the ninth. With one ay, he hit Matt Thayer with a pitch, then struck out Ryan McCarthy for the second out. Pinch-hitter Matt Sharp doubled to left to drive in Thayer, and Griffin worked the count full before hitting his second blast of the game, a two-run shot to left to make the final score 9-6.

NC State will return to action on Wednesday, February 19, at East Carolina. Game time is scheduled for 5 p.m.