NC State Baseball Trips Elon, 5-3

Sunday, February 22

Raleigh, N.C.

2:00 PM

NC State

4-0

Elon

2-5

Elon

NC State

2/22/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

Feb. 22, 2004

Final Stats

RALEIGH, N.C. - Bobby Hubbard's two-run pinch-double drove in the tying and go-ahead runs, and Adam McLaurin pitched four hitless innings Saturday to lift NC State to a 5-3 college baseball victory over Elon at Doak Field. The win gave the Wolfpack (4-0) a three-game sweep in the weekend series with the Phoenix (2-5).

McLaurin (1-0), who also pitched a perfect inning in Saturday's 16-2 rout of the Phoenix, entered the game with Elon leading 3-2 and with runners on first and second with none out, and got out of the inning without allowing a run to score. The win was his first collegiate decision. He retired the first 11 men he faced, and 12 of 13 in all. For the weekend, he retired 15 of the 16 batters he faced. His only baserunner came on a two-out walk in the top of the eighth. Joey Devine worked a scoreless ninth inning for his third save in as many opportunities this season.

Elon starter Matt Garner (0-1) wound up allowing four runs on six hits in 4 1/3 innings. He walked five and struck out eight. He had five strikeouts through two innings, and did not strike out a batter after the third.

Evan Tartaglia led off the game for Elon with a bunt single, and Drew Davis worked NC State starter Nate Cretarolo for a walk. After Grant Rembert flied out, Evan Erickson grounded to third to move the runners to second and third. Tyler Stevens singled to right to drive in one run, and Davis and Stevens executed a double steal to get the second run across for the Phoenix.

The Pack got one run back in the bottom of the first. Jason St. Julien lined a one-out single up the middle, and David Hicks drew a two-out walk. Lee Mezistrano drove in the run with an opposite-field single to left, cutting the lead to 2-1.

Cretarolo hit Matt Stocco with a pitch leading off the top of the second, but appeared to get out of the jam by retiring Paul Bennett on a pop-up and Austin Boehme on a strikeout. But Tartaglia walked, and Davis singled to left to drive in the run and push the lead back to two runs again at 3-1.

St. Julien led off the bottom of the third with a walk and Hicks flared a single into shallow left-center field to put runners on first and second with one out. Mezistrano followed with a single to left to chase home St. Julien and cut the Elon lead to 3-2.

NC State took the lead in the bottom of the fifth. Dustin Knight led off and walked, and Mezistrano laced a one-out single to right, with Knight taking third on the play. Hubbard followed with a two-run double down the left-field line and off the facing of the bullpen to drive in both runners and give the Wolfpack a 4-3 lead.

Cretarolo hit Rembert with a pitch and Rembert singled to start the top of the fifth. That was the end of the line for Cretarolo. Erickson greeted McLaurin with a sacrifice bunt to move the runners to second and third with one down and the fifth and sixth hitters in the Elon lineup due up. McLaurin struck out Stevens and got Gary Morris to foul out to catcher Jake Muyco to end the inning with no runs scoring.

Hicks added a solo homer, his third in the last two games, in the bottom of the seventh to make it 5-3.

Notes: The 4-0 start is NC State's best through four games since the 1996 team started 9-0 ... Counting the suspended game from February 14 vs. Campbell, the NC State bullpen has pitched 15 innings without allowing an earned run ... David Hicks matched his home run total from all of 2003 with his three this weekend.