NC State Baseball Clips Clemson 3-2 In 11

March 28, 2003

KINSTON, N.C. - Jeremy Dutton led off the bottom of the 11th inning with a long home run to right field Friday night, and NC State's bullpen pitched 6-1/3 innings of one-hit baseball to lift the Wolfpack past 10th-ranked Clemson 3-2 in Atlantic Coast Conference baseball action at Grainger Stadium. The Wolfpack, ranked No. 17 nationally, won for the 17th time in its last 19 games and improved to 22-6 overall and 3-1 in the ACC. Clemson dropped to 18-5 overall and 0-1 in the conference.

Joey Devine (3-0) worked 2-2/3 scoreless innings for the Wolfpack to get the win. He allowed one hit, an infield single, walked two and struck out three. He ran his streak of consecutive scoreless innings to 21-1/3. Clemson reliever Patrick Hogan (0-1) got the loss for the Tigers after allowing one run on two hits in 2-1/3 innings. He walked two and struck out two.

Both pitching staffs made it tough on the hitters. The Wolfpack got on the board in the bottom of the first when Marc Maynor led off and was hit by a pitch and Joe Gaetti followed with a two-run home run to left-center field. The Wolfpack threatened again repeatedly throughout regulation play, but Clemson pitching wriggled off the hook again and again.

The Tigers tied the score at 2-2 in the top of the second. Brad McCann led off, doubled to left, and scored on Jeff Hourigan's single to center. Kyle Frank bunted for a single to put runners on first and second, and Frank went to third on a passed ball. After Ryan Hub struck out, Collin Mahoney lofted a sacrifice fly to right field to drive an unearned run that tied the score.

From there, the pitchers took over. NC State starter Nate Cretarolo scattered seven hits and a couple of walks in 4-2/3 innings, while Clemson starter Tyler Lumsden struggled with his control all night, but kept getting out of trouble. He allowed just two hits, but walked five and hit a pair of batters in 6-2/3 innings. At no time during his time in the game did Lumsden retire more than three consecutive Wolfpack hitters.

The Wolfpack threatened in the bottom of the third, loading the bases on two walks and a hit batter, but with two outs, Clemson first baseman Michael Johnson made a leaping catch to snare Chad Orvella's line drive for the third out, saving at least two runs. In both the fifth and sixth innings, NC State got the leadoff hitter aboard, but Lumsden rolled double-play balls. And the Pack loaded the bases in the seventh, but reliever Paul Harrelson got out of the inning on a fly ball. NC State got the leadoff hitter on base seven times in 11 innings, but only two of them scored. Clemson pitchers retired the side in order only once, in the bottom of the 10th.

After Clemson's rally in the second, Wolfpack pitchers settled down and pitched well, mowing down the Tigers from the fourth inning on. After a Russell Triplett single to left in the fifth inning, Clemson did not hit another ball out of the infield off of relievers Phillip Davidson and Devine. Devine got into a jam in the top of the 10th when Triplett reached on an infield single and Michael Johnson walked with none out, but Colt Morton picked Triplett off second base, and Devine then struck out McCann and Hourigan to end the inning.

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Team Stats

Joe Gaetti

Colt Morton

Marc Maynor

Justin Riley