NC State Baseball Edges Elon, 5-3

Friday, February 20

Raleigh, N.C.

3:00 PM

NC State

2-0

Elon

2-3

Elon

NC State

2/20/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

Feb. 20, 2004

Final Stats

RALEIGH, N.C. - Jason St. Julien doubled and homered, and Matt Camp drove in a pair of runs Friday afternoon to lift NC State to a 5-3 comeback victory over Elon in the first game of a three-game series at Doak Field. The Wolfpack (2-0) scored once in each of the last four innings to down the Phoenix (2-3).

Reliever Collin Brown (1-0) pitched a scoreless but controversial seventh inning to record the victory. He allowed one hit and had another, a leadoff home run, wiped out on appeal. Joey Devine worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning to record his second save in as many attempts. Matt McSwain (1-1) allowed two runs, one of them unearned, on two hits in 1 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out one.

The game was a back-and-forth affair featuring three ties and three lead changes. Elon drew first blood in the top of the third when Paul Bennett singled to right with one out, stole second and scored on Drew Davis's single to left. The Wolfpack tied the score at 1-1 in the bottom of the inning on St. Julien's first home run of the season, a solo shot to left.

The Wolfpack took the lead in the bottom of the fifth when Marc Maynor singled and was safe on an error on a stolen-base attempt. Camp singled to right to drive in the run and give NC State a 2-1 lead, but Elon came back with a pair of unearned runs in the top of the sixth. With two out, Evan Erickson reached on an error, Tyler Stevens singled up the middle, and Matt Stocco doubled past a diving Maynor in center field to drive in both runs.

The Pack tied the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the sixth. David Hicks, who entered the game as a defensive replacement in the top of the inning, led off and walked. Ryan Johnson followed with a walk to put runners on first and second with none out. Tim Holt flied to center field to advance Hicks to third, and Muyco's single off McSwain's foot drove in Hicks with the tying run.

Elon appeared to retake the lead in the top of the seventh when Bennett went deep to left, but the run was nullified and he was out on appeal for not touching first base. The Pack got out of the inning and then took the lead at 4-3 in the bottom half. St. Julien led off with a double and Bobby Hubbard walked with one out. Left fielder Chris Price dropped Hicks's fly ball to load the bases, and pinch-hitter Lee Mezistrano broke the tie with a sacrifice fly to center field.

Muyco and Maynor led off the bottom of the eighth with bunt singles, and Muyco went to third on the play when the second baseman's throw to first got away from Davis for an error. Camp then singled to left to score Muyco with a big insurance run.

The two teams will meet again in the second game of the series on Saturday. First pitch is set for 2 p.m.