NC State Baseball Gives One Away

Saturday, March 6

San Diego, Calif.

9:00 PM

NC State

10-1

San Diego State

8-14

NC State

San Diego State

3/6/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

March 6, 2004

Final Stats

SAN DIEGO, Calif. - Several streaks came to a grinding halt Saturday night, none more significant than NC State's 10-game winning streak. The Wolfpack self-destructed in the sixth inning and gift-wrapped San Diego State's 7-4 victory over the Pack at Tony Gwynn Stadium, NC State's first loss of 2004.

The Aztecs snapped a four-game losing streak to improve to 8-14, while the Wolfpack fell to 10-1. San Diego State reliever Ben Coon (1-0) worked 4 1/3 scoreless innings in relief, allowing four hits and striking out three. His performance allowed the Aztecs to get starter Daryl Harang off the hook after Harang was touched for four runs, two of them unearned, on seven hits in 3 1/3 innings. He walked four and struck out four. Ryan Schroyer worked a scoreless ninth inning to get his fourth save of the year.

Freshman Adam McLaurin (2-1) got the loss in relief of starter Vern Sterry. McLaurin allowed three runs, two of them earned, on three hits in 2 1/3 innings. He walked two and sstruck out one. The two earned runs allowed by McLaurin were the first earned runs allowed by the entire NC State bullpen in 2004, snappng a streak of 31 2/3 innings without allowing an earned run.

This one was an improbable loss. The Wolfpack headed into the bottom of the sixth inning with a 4-1 lead, a first-team All-American in Sterry on the mound and a heretofore untouchable bullpen standing by in the event of trouble. But a full moon hung over the ballpark much of the night, an omen, perhaps. And the Wolfpack left the bases loaded three times in the first four innings and stranded 15 runners for the game, lost opportunities that came back to haunt NC State.

Matt Camp led off the game with a walk, and David Hicks laced a two-out single up the middle to put runners on the corners. Consecutive walks to Eric Taylor and Ryan Johnson forced in a run and gave the Pack a 1-0 lead, but walks to Eric Taylor and Ryaan Johnson loaded the bases with two out, but the Pack left the sacks loaded. Lance Zawadski tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the inning with one swing of the bat, a long homer down the right-field line, his first long ball of the season. The Pack loaded the bases again in the second, but did not score.

San Diego State, which has had problems hitting and fielding the ball this season, had a defensive lapse in the third innning that cost the Aztecs a two-run inning. Taylor led off and reached on an error by shortstop James Guerrero. He was erased on a force play by Johnson before Jake Muyco reached on an infield single. With two down, Jonathan Diaz stroked a two-run single to left to put the Pack back in front, 3-1.

Jason St. Julien led off the top of the fourth with a ringing double that one-hopped the left-field wall, took third on Dustin Knight's grounder to shortstop, and scored on Hicks's single to left. That gave Sterry a 4-1 lead, but NC State again left the bases laoded.

The Wolfpack's usually airtight defense and rock-solid composure both sprung leaks in the bottom of the sixth. Zawadzki led off and singled. Reilly Embry grounded to second, but Camp's relay to Diaz at shortstop was high for an error, leaving runners at first and second with none out. Brock Ungricht popped out for the first out, but Josh Hill singled to drive in a run and make it 4-2.

That was it for Sterry. McLaurin came out of the bullpen, and the wheels promptly came off the wagon for NC State. Jake McLintock chopped a grounder to shortstop, but Camp neglected to cover the bag when Diaz flipped to second. That fielder's choice loaded the bases, and Clay Coulter followed with a grounder to third that Taylor was unable to get out of his glove. The play was ruled a fielder's choice and allowed another run to score, cutting the lead to 4-3 with the bases still loaded. Guerrero ripped a grounder to third, and this time Taylor made a nice diving stop and got a force at third on McLintock for the second out. But his throw home in an attempt to nail Hill was late, and that run tied the game at 4-4. Ryan Wilson then hit a hard grounder to second that Camp booted for his second error of the inning, allowing Coulter to score from second with the go-ahead run.

It got worse in the bottom of the eighth. McLintock walked with one out, but McLaurin popped up Coulter for the second out and appeared poised to escape the inning without allowing any runs. Instead, Guerrero beat out a ground ball to shortstop for a single, and Wilson bounced an RBI single up the middle. That spelled the end of the night for McLaurin. Reliever Brandon Shipwash uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Wilson to score and give the Aztecs a 7-4 lead.

NC State and San Diego State will finish their three-game series on Sunday at 4 p.m. eastern time.