NC State Baseball Downs Elon In Season Opener, 8-2

Saturday, February 8

Elon, N.C.

1:00 PM

NC State

1-0

Elon

0-1

NC State

Elon

NC State Baseball Downs Elon In Season Opener, 8-2

2/8/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

Feb. 8, 2003

Box Score

ELON, N.C. - It was freshman day on Saturday for NC State in its baseball season-opener vs. Elon. Mike Rogers, a redshirt freshman because of a medical hardship from a year ago, allowed just three hits over five shutout innings to get the win, and true freshmen Jason Duncan, Matt Camp and Joey Devine made key contributions as the Wolfpack defeated the Phoenix 8-2 on Saturday afternoon at Latham Park.

The game was the season opener for both teams. The Wolfpack is 1-0, while Elon is 0-1.

Camp had three hits in five at-bats, scored a run and drove in a run, and Duncan and Devine held Elon to two runs on three hits in four innings of relief work. They combined to strike out five Elon hitters.

Rogers, who missed most of last season with a broken leg, got the win, the fourth of his career, while Elon starter Matt Garner took the loss for the Phoenix.

Rogers was just about untouchable during his five innings on the mound. Elon's first hit was an infield single by Brian Ingram in the bottom of the third, but Evan Tartaglia was thrown out at the plate on the play to end the inning. Rogers walked three and struck out four. Paul Bennett and Tartaglia got back-to-back singles with one out in the bottom of the fifth for Elon's other two hits off of Rogers.

The Wolfpack got all the runs it needed in the top of the third, staking Rogers to a 6-0 lead. Chad Orvella led off and was hit by a pitch, and Matt Camp and Jeremy Dutton bunted for singles. Orvella scored on the play when Garner's throwing error eluded the first baseman. Joe Gaetti was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and David Hicks walked to force in a run and make it 2-0. One out later, Justin Riley reached on an infield single to score Dutton, and Marc Maynor singled to left to drive in Gaetti with the fourth run. Adam Hargrave laid down a squeeze bunt to drive in Hicks, and Camp closed out the scoring for the inning with an infield single that drove in Riley.

Elon got on the board in the bottom of the seventh when Duncan ran into trouble. Pinch-hitter Ricky Callison got a one-out single, and Duncan then hit Drew Davis with a pitch and walked Paul Bennett to load the bases. Tartaglia hit a sacrifice fly to right field to drive in Callison, and that sent Duncan to the showers. Devine came in from the bullpen and walked Gary Morris to reload the bases, and Ingram drew a walk to drive in Elon's other run, cutting the Wolfpack lead to 6-2. Devine then got Barry Tejeda on a one-hopper back to the mound to end the threat.

NC State added two more runs in the top of the ninth. Joe Gaetti singled and Hicks walked, and then pulled a double steal to put runners on second and third. Colt Morton singled down the line in left field to drive in both runs.

The final game of the series will be Sunday, February 9, at 1 p.m. The game was originally slated for a 1:30 start, but was moved back to 1 o'clock because of the cold weather.