Duke's Schreiber Shuts Down NC State Baseball, 3-1

Saturday, March 20

Raleigh, N.C.

2:00 PM

NC State

15-5, 0

Duke

11-11, 0

Duke

NC State

Duke's Schreiber Shuts Down NC State Baseball, 3-1

3/20/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

March 20, 2004

Final Stats

RALEIGH, N.C. - Duke's Zach Schreiber called a halt to three NC State streaks Saturday, defeating the Wolfpack and righthander Vern Sterry 3-1 at Doak Field. The victory by the Blue Devils evened the three-game series between the two teams at a game apiece. Duke now is 11-11 overall and 1-1 in the ACC. The Wolfpack is 15-5 and 1-1.

Schreiber (3-2) was sharp throughout, working a complete-game five-hitter. He allowed one run, walked three and struck out eight. He never retired more than five NC State hitters in a row, but he only allowed three runners to reach scoring position, stranding two of them at second base. The Wolfpack did not have a hit until the third inning, and did not have a runner reach second base until the sixth. Schreiber held the Pack's Matt Camp hitless in four at-bats, snapping his hitting streak at 15 games, and did not allow a hit to David Hicks in two at-bats, stopping his hitting streak at 10 games.

Sterry (3-1) struggled through the first three innings, and then cruised into the ninth, pitching as well as he has all season. He wound up going eight-plus innings and allowing three runs, two earned, on four hits. He walked a season-high three and struck out five. The loss snapped Sterry's school-record winning streak at 14 games.

Sterry could not command his curveball and changeup early in the game, and paid the price for it. Duke drew first blood with two runs in the top of the second inning. Bryan Smith walked, Sterry's first walk in 93 batters, and with two down, Corey Whiting singled to center to put runners on first and second. Sterry then made a gaffe, forgetting there were two runners on base and attempting to pick Whiting off first base with no one covering the bag. Whiting wound up on second base, and Smith scored from second on the play. Michael Golom followed with a triple into the right-center-field gap, scoring Whiting to give the Blue Devils a 2-0 lead.

Duke went right back to work with an unearned run in the top of the third. With one out, Javier Socorro reached on an error by David Hicks at first base, Tim Layden walked, and Brian Hernandez singled to left to load the bases. Smith then rolled a grounder through the left side of the infield to drive in Socorro and give the Blue Devils a 3-0 lead.

That was the last anyone heard from the Duke offense until the ninth inning. Sterry retired the next 17 men in a row before walking Smith to lead off the ninth. Adam McLaurin came out of the bullpen to get Whiting to line into a double play, but it was all too little, too late.

While Sterry struggled early, Schreiber was in command from the beginning. The Wolfpack finally got on the scoreboard board in the bottom of the seventh. Hicks led off with a walk, and went to second on a wild pitch. With one away, Lee Mezistrano reached on an infield single to put runners on the corners, and Marc Maynor hit a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Hicks and slicing the lead to 3-1. Schreiber then got Jake Muyco on a fly ball to center field to end the threat.

The series will conclude on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled to 2 p.m.