NC State Baseball Slips Past Northeastern, 7-6

Friday, March 12

Raleigh, N.C.

3:00 PM

NC State

12-3

Northeastern

6-3

Northeastern

NC State

3/12/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

March 12, 2004

Final Stats

RALEIGH, N.C. - Lee Mezistrano singled home the game-winning run with two down in the bottom of the ninth Friday afternoon as NC State edged Northeastern 7-6 at Doak Field. Mezistrano's third RBI of the game made a winner of lefthander Nate Cretarolo (2-0), who worked two perfect innings of relief. He struck out two. Northeastern reliever Adam Ottavino (1-2) took the loss after allowing one run on one hit in 1 2/3 innings. He walked one and did not register a strikeout. The Pack improved to 12-3 with the win, while the Huiskies dropped to 6-3.

After retiring the first five Northeastern hitters in order, NC State starter Michael Rogers served up back-to-back homers to Tim Bush and Brad Czarnowski in the top of the second inning, giving the Huskies a 2-0 lead.

Huskies starter Jordan Thomson cruised through the first seven NC State hitters in order and had not allowed a run through the first three innings when the Wolfpack struck for three runs in the bottom of the fourth. Bryan Kinneberg and David Hicks drew one-out walks, and advanced to second and third on a wild pitch. Dustin Knight singled up the middle to drive in Kinneberg, and Hicks scored when Mezistrano grounded into a force play. Jake Muyco followed with a two-out double off the wall in left field, chasing home Mezistrano and giving Rogers and the Pack a 3-2 lead after four innings.

The Huskies scored twice to retake the lead in the top of the fifth. Czarnowski led off and was hit by a pitch, Matt Morizo walked, and Eric Murray's sacrifice bunt was so well-placed that it went for a single to load the bases. Rogers almost got out of the jam when he got leadoff hitter Mike Steinberg to ground into a 1-2-3 double play, but Arman Sidhu singled off the wall in left to drive in Morizo and Murray, and give Northeastern a 4-3 lead. Sidhu was out trying to stretch his hit into a double, ending the inning.

NC State got three more in the bottom of the fifth. Matt Camp doubled with one out and went to third on a wild pitch. With two down, Kinneberg singled to center to drive in Camp, and Hicks hit a bad-hop single to right to put runners on first and second. Knight then singled to shallow right field to drive in Kinneberg and send Hicks to third, and Mezistrano singled to center to score Hicks, giving the Wolfpack a 6-4 lead after five innings.

The Huskies came back in the top of the seventh. Czarnowski led off with his second homer of the game, and Morizio singled to center. Murray flied out, but pinch-hitter Miguel Paquette doubled to right-center, putting runners on second and third, and sending Rogers to the showers. Adam McLaurin came in for the Wolfpack and retired Sidhu on a run-scoring groundout to tie the score at 6-6, and then struck out Chris Emanuele to end the inning.

The Wolfpack's winning rally in the ninth started with two out. Knight walked, and Tim Holt came in as a pinch-runner. Holt stole second on a 2-2 pitch, and on the next pitch, Mezistrano lined a single off the glove of a diving Murray at second base to send Holt home with the game-winner.

The two teams will resume their three-game series on Saturday at 2 p.m.