GMU's Gant Carves Up NC State, 5-2

Tuesday, March 9

Raleigh, N.C.

2:00 PM

NC State

10-3

George Mason

10-1

George Mason

NC State

3/9/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

March 9, 2004

Final Stats

RALEIGH, N.C. - George Mason righthander Stacen Gant limited NC State to a pair of runs on six hits through 7 2/3 innings Tuesday as the Patriots handed the Wolfpack a 5-2 defeat in college baseball action at Doak Field. NC State, which lost for the third time in a row for the first time since the 2002 season, dropped to 10-3. George Mason improved to 10-1 with the victory.

Gant (4-0) had a three-hit shutout through seven innings, but tired in the eighth. He gave way to closer Mike Pulki, who picked up his third save with 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. Wolfpack starter Phillip Davidson (1-1) pitched well enough to win most games, allowing three runs, only one of which was earned, on five hits in 5 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out six.

Both sides went in order in the first inning, and both sides got a baserunner on base in the second, but failed to score. The Patriots rallied for a pair of unearned runs in the top of the third. Robby Jacobsen led off with a single to center, and Jimmy Freund singled to right. Josh Campbell bunted the runners to second and third, and was safe at first when the Pack misplayed his bunt into an error. Davidson almost got out of the inning striking out Matt Cooksey and Jeff Palumbo, but Bruce Baldwin smoked a two-run single to left to put George Mason up 2-0.

Baldwin led off the top of the sixth with a walk, Nick Shimer was hit by a pitch and Adam Innert walked to load the bases with one out. Jacobsen's sacrifice fly to center field gave Mason a 3-0 lead. Campbell led off the top of the seventh with a double to center, was bunted to third by Cooksey, and scored on Palumbo's infield single. Shimer lined a solo homer off the center-field scoreboard in the top of the eighth.

While the Patriots offense was buiding its 5-0 lead, Gant was cruising through the NC State batting order. He struck out the side in order in the bottom of the first, and retired the side in order in the third, fourth and sixth innings. He allowed a one-out single in the second and a leadoff single in the seventh, but erased both runners with double-play grounders. Through seven innings he had faced one batter over the minimum.

The Wolfpack finally got through to Gant in the eighth. Mezistrano singled up the middle, his second hit of the game, and pinch-hitter Eric Taylor lined a one-out single to left. Tim Coffield, also pinch-hitting, walked to load the bases, and Matt Camp ripped a two-out, two-run double to left-center, trimming the lead to 5-2. Puckli got Jason St. Julien on a one-hopper back to the mound to end the inning, and then retired the side in order in the ninth.

The two teams will conclude their brief two-game series on Wednesday at 2 p.m.