NC State Baseball Downs Virginia, 8-7

Sunday, March 28

Raleigh, N.C.

2:00 PM

NC State

17-8, 0

Virginia

20-7, 0

Virginia

NC State

3/28/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

March 28, 2004

Final Stats

RALEIGH, N.C. - Matt Camp and Lee Mezistrano had two hits and scored two runs apiece, and Phillip Davidson pitched 2 1/3 innings of sterling relief Sunday to lift 21st-ranked NC State past No. 25 Virginia, 8-7, in the final and deciding game of a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series at Doak Field.

The win was tempered by the news that junior center fielder Marc Maynor was lost for the season after fracturing two bones in his left ankle while shagging fly balls during batting practice.

The Wolfpack improved to 17-8 overall with the victory and evened its ACC record at 3-3. Virginia fell to 20-7 overall and 5-4 in the ACC. Davidson (3-1) allowed one run on two hits, walked one and struck out three. Joey Devine faced four men and retired them all to record his eighth save of the season. Virginia starter Joe Koshansky (4-1) took the loss after allowing seven runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings. He walked two and struck out three.

For the third time in as many games in the series, the winning team jumped to an early lead by hanging a crooked number on the scoreboard in the first inning. Camp led off with a triple to right-center and Tim Holt walked and stole second. Jason St. Julien singled to left to drive in Camp, and Holt came around to score when left fielder Matt Dunn overran the ball for an error.

Mezistrano led off the bottom of the second with a double to right and went to third on Jake Muyco's sacrifice bunt. Koshansky hit Ryan Johnson with a pitch, and Camp beat out a dribbler to first base for a single, scoring Mezistrano. Johnson went to third when first baseman Josh Darby's throw got away from Koshansky covering the bag. Tim Holt brought Johnson home with a squeeze bunt, and David Hicks singled to right to drive in Camp and make it 5-0.

The Cavaliers clawed their way back into the game in the top of the third. With one out, Tim Henry doubled down the left-field line and went to third on Matt Street's single to left. Mark Reynolds drove in Henry with an infield single, and Ryan Zimmerman singled to left to drive in Street and make it 5-2. Koshansky then ripped a two-run double to right-center, scoring Reynolds and Zimmerman and cutting the lead to 5-4. The rally short-circuited when NC State starter Derek McKee picked Koshansky off second base, and then struck out Darby for the third out.

The Wolfpack put three big runs on the board in the bottom of the sixth. With one out, Mezistrano doubled to center field and went to third on a single to center by Muyco. Johnson laid down a bunt and beat it out on a close play at first, driving in Mezistrano. Camp walked to load the bases. Reliever Casey Lambert hit Holt with a pitch to drive in Muyco, and Hicks drove in a run by grounding into a force play, giving NC State an 8-4 lead.

Davidson, who entered the game to start the top of the fifth inning, walked Kyle Werman leading off the top of the seventh. With one down, Street reached on an infield single to put runners on first and second. Adam McLaurin came in to pitch for Davidson and immediately picked Werman off second for the second out of the inning, and a big out it was, because Reynolds drilled McLaurin's second pitch over the wall in left field for a two-run homer that cut the lead to 8-6.

Matt Dunn led off the top of the eighth with a walk and went to second on a groundout. Scott Headd walked and was forced at second base on a ground ball off the bat of Werman, with Dunn taking third on the play. Henry's single to right scored Dunn to cut the lead to a run at 8-7, bringing Devine into the game. Devine needed just one pitch to retire Street on a grounder to first to end the inning. Devine struck out Reynolds leading off the top of the ninth and got Zimmerman to pop out before Koshansky drilled a fastball to the deepest part of the ballpark for the final out of the game.

NC State returns to action on Tuesday, March 30 against Old Dominion at Doak Field. Game time is 7 p.m. Virginia will begin a two-game series with Brown on Tuesday, also at 7 p.m. at the UVa Baseball Field.