North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State
19-4
Princeton
1-8
NC State Baseball Downs Princeton, 13-5
3/17/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 17, 2003
BUIES CREEK, N.C. - Chad Orvella had three hits and drove in three runs, and NC State erupted for a pair of five-run innings Monday to defeat Princeton 13-5 at Buies Creek. The win was the Wolfpack's 14th in a row, tying for the second-longest winning streak in school history. The Pack improved to 19-4 on the season, while Princeton dropped to 1-8
Junior lefthander David Hicks (2-0) picked up the win after working five-plus innings. He allowed five runs, four of them earned, on 10 hits. He walked one and struck out three. Freshman righthander Joey Devine worked the final four innings, allowing two hits and no runs, to get his seventh save of the season. Princeton starter Jason Vaughan (0-1), making his first appearance of the season, took the loss after allowing six runs on six hits in three-plus innings. He walked six and struck out five.
The Wolfpack put together a two-out rally in the bottom of the first inning. Justin Riley and Colt Morton walked, and Tim Coffield singled up the middle to drive in Riley with the first run of the game.
Princeton mounted a two-out rally in the top of the third. Steve Young singled to left and Matt Becker reached on an error. B.J. Szymanski singled to left to drive in Young, but Becker was cut down trying to advance to third on the play for the final out of the inning, leaving the score tied at 1-1.
The Wolfpack scored five in the bottom of the fourth. Dustin Knight singled to left and Jeremy Dutton beat out a bunt for a single. Orvella doubled into the right-field corner to drive in both runners and make it 3-1, and Adam Hargrave singled to center to put runners on first and third. Vaughan's wild pitch allowed Orvella to score and moved Hargrave to second, and Matt Camp walked. Hargrave and Camp pulled off a double steal, and Joe Gaetti walked to load the bases. Riley bounced into a double play to score Hargrave, and Morton singled to center to drive in Camp and make it 6-1.
The Tigers got a run back in the top of the fifth inning when Adam Balkan led off with a double to left and scored on Steve Young's single to right, and then got right back in the game with three runs in the top of the sixth. Ryan Eldridge led off and walked, and Ryan Reich was hit by a pitch. The runners moved up to second and third on a passed ball, and Mike Chernoff drove both of them home with a single up the middle. Balkan followed with a booming triple to left-center to cut the NC State lead to 6-5. Devine relieved Hicks at that point, and Princeton got just three more baserunners the rest of the afternoon.
The wheels came off the wagon for the Tigers in the bottom of the sixth for reliever Aaron Herr. Camp led off and reached on an infield single. Gaetti sacrifice Camp to second and Riley reached on an error with Camp holding at second base. After Morton flied out, Tim Coffield was hit by a pitch and Vaughan unleashed a wild pitch to make it 7-1. Vaughan then hit pinch-hitter Lee Mezistrano to load the bases, hit Dutton to drive in a run, walked Orvella to drive in a run, hit Hargrave to drive in a run, anad walked Camp to drive in a run.
That made it 11-5, and the Wolfpack capped off the scoring with two more in the bottom of the seventh. Riley led off with a walk and went to third on Morton's double to left. Marc Maynor walked to load the bases, and Devine reached on an error to drive in a run. The final run came on a double-play ball.
NC State will return to action Tuesday evening against Davidson at Grainger Stadium in Kinston. Game time is 7 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Hicks, David (2-0)
L: Jason Vaughan (0-1)
S: Devine, Joey (7)
Batting:
2B: Matthew Becker 1 ; Adam Balkan 1
3B: Adam Balkan 1
RBI: Steve Young 1 ; B.J. Szymanski 1 ; Mike Chernoff 2 ; Adam Balkan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Steve Young 1 ; Ryan Eldridge 1 ; Ryan Reich 1 ; Mike Chernoff 1 ; Adam Balkan 1
HBP: Jonathan Miller 1 ; Ryan Reich 1 ; Adam Balkan 1
Batting:
2B: Morton, Colt 1 ; Orvella, Chad 1 ; Hargrave, Adam 1
3B: Orvella, Chad 1
RBI: Camp, Matt 1 ; Morton, Colt 1 ; Coffield, Tim 1 ; Dutton, Jeremy 1 ; Orvella, Chad 3 ; Hargrave, Adam 1 ; Devine, Joey 1
SH: Gaetti , Joe 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Camp, Matt 2 ; Riley, Justin 3 ; Morton, Colt 1 ; Maynor, Marc 1 ; Knight, Dustin 1 ; Mezistrano, Lee 1 ; Dutton, Jeremy 2 ; Orvella, Chad 1 ; Hargrave, Adam 1
SB: Camp, Matt 1 ; Orvella, Chad 1 ; Hargrave, Adam 1
CS: Orvella, Chad 1
HBP: Coffield, Tim 1 ; Mezistrano, Lee 1 ; Dutton, Jeremy 1 ; Hargrave, Adam 1
