NC State Baseball Edges Oklahoma State, 4-3

Friday, March 14

Durham Bulls Athletic Park

3:00 PM

NC State

15-4

Oklahoma State

10-6

Oklahoma State

NC State

3/14/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

March 14, 2003

Final Stats

DURHAM, N.C. - Joe Gaetti drilled a three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning Friday, lifting NC State to a 4-3 victory over Oklahoma State at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Gaetti's blast erased a 3-1 lead for the Cowboys and extended the Wolfpack's winning streak to 10 games. NC State is 15-4 on the season, while Oklahoma State fell to 10-6.

Gaetti's bomb made a winner of redshirt-freshman Mike Rogers (5-1), who allowed three runs, one of them earned, on seven hits in 6-2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out a season-high nine. Joey Devine worked the final two innings, retiring all six men he faced and striking out three to pick up his fifth save of the season. Cowboys starter Scott Baker (3-3), a potential first-round draft pick this June, got the tough-luck loss after allowing four runs, three of them earned, on just three hits in seven innings. He walked two and struck out a career-high nine. Baker had a no-hitter through 4-2/3 innings.

Rogers and Baker matched zeroes through the first four innings, but the Cowboys broke up the pitchers duel with three runs in the top of the fifth, two of them unearned. Scott Kirby doulbed off the wall in left with one down and went to third on Chris Gutierrez's single. Jose Virgil tried to squeeze the runner home and popped up the bunt attempt. Rogers let the ball drop to get a possible double play, but fumbled the ball trying to pick it up, and then threw it away at first for an error. That allowed Kirby to score the go-ahead run and left runners on second and third. Kenny Hansley followed with an RBI single up the middle, and Josh Fields hit a sacrifice fly to right to make it 3-0.

The Wolfpack got on the board in the bottom of the inning thanks to a couple of hit batters. David Hicks led off and was plunked by a Baker curveball, and two batters later, Chad Orvella also was hit by a Baker breaking ball to put runners on first and second with one out. With two away, Matt Camp lined a single up the middle, breaking up Baker's no-hitter and shutout, cutting Oklahoma State's lead to 3-1.

The Wolfpack struck suddenly in the bottom of the sixth to take the lead. Justin Riley led off and reached on an error by Gutierrez at shortstop, and Colt Morton walked. On the next pitch, Gaetti hammered a long drive over the wall in left for three runs and a 4-3 lead. The homer was Gaetti's eighth of the year and gave him 28 RBIs in 19 games.

The Cowboys threatened in the top of the seventh on singles by Gutierrez and Josh Fields, but Jason Duncan came in for Rogers and struck out John Urick to end the inning. Duncan walked Jason Jamarillo leading off the ninth, but Devine came to strike out Mario Matulich and Olivio, and Morton then gunned down Jamarillo attempting to steal to end that threat. Devine cruised through a 1-2-3 ninth inning.

The Wolfpack will return to action on Saturday in a doubleheader at Five Couty Stadium in Zebulon. The Pack will take on Old Dominion at 1 p.m. and UNC Wilmington a 4:30.