NC State Baseball Falls To East Carolina, 6-3

Wednesday, April 21

Raleigh, N.C.

7:00 PM

NC State

27-13

East Carolina

32-6

East Carolina

NC State

4/21/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

April 21, 2004

Final Stats

RALEIGH, N.C. - Ryan Jones hit a three-run double in the top of the sixth inning and four East Carolina pitchers scattered six hits as the Pirates defeated NC State 6-3 Wednesday night at Doak Field. The ninth-ranked Pirates extended their winning streak to 13 games and improved to 32-6 overall. NC State, ranked 27th, fell to 27-13 with the defeat.

P.J. Connelly (2-0) got the win after being credited with 2/3 of a scoreless inning, although he did not retire a batter. Both outs recorded by Connelly came from Wolfpack baserunning errors. Carter Harrell pitched the final four innings, allowing no runs on two hits for his first save. He walked one and struck out five. Adam McLaurin (2-2), the fourth of seven NC State pitchers to see action, took the loss after allowing three runs on two hits. He walked one, hit a batter, and did not record an out.

East Carolina failed to convert several scoring chances early. The Pirates loaded the bases with none out in the top of the first, but Drew Costanzo hit into a force play, erasing the lead runner at the plate, then was picked off first base by Wolfpack catcher Jake Muyco for the second out of the inning. NC State starter Jason Duncan struck out Ryan Norwood looking to end the threat. ECU scored a run in the top of the second to take a 1-0 lead, but stranded a pair of runners. Darryl Lawhorn led off and lined a single up the middle. Mark Minicozzi singled to right. After John Poppert popped out, Billy Richardson reached on an infield single, and Jamie Page hit a sacrifice fly to center field to make it 1-0. Ryan Jones hit a sharp line drive towards right field that first baseman David Hicks speared for the final out of the inning.

The Wolfpack dodged more bullets in the fourth and fifth. Poppert lined into a double play with two runners aboard to end the fourth, and reliever Nate Cretarolo stranded a pair of runners in the fifth by getting Costanzo to ground into a force play.

The Wolfpack, meanwhile, struggled offensively early against ECU starter Ricky Brooks and reliever Mike Flye. The Pack had a one-out single by Jake Muyco in the bottom of the secong inning, loaded the bases with two walks and a hit batter in the fourth, but could not score.

The Pack rallied to take a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the fifth. Jonathan Diaz led off and was hit by a pitch. Ryan Johnson beat out a bunt for an infield single to put runners on first and second. After Matt Camp flied out to left, the runners moved to second and third on a wild pitch. Diaz scored on Muyco's bunt single, with Johnson taking third on the play. Muyco stole second, and Flye's wild pitch scored Diaz and sent Muyco to third. David Hicks walked, and Jason St. Julien scorched a double down the right-field line. Muyco scored on the play to make it 3-1, but the inning began to unravel when St. Julien overran second base and was tagged out for the second out. A few pitches later, Hicks was out at the plate trying to score on a wild pitch for the final out of the inning.

The Pirates answered the Wolfpack's big inning with one of their own. Cretarolo easily got the first two outs in the top of the sxith, but was lifted for McLaurin, who promptly gave up a single up the middle to Poppert and hit Richardson with a pitch. Page walked to load the bases, and Jones cleared them with a double to left-center, giving the Pirates a 4-3 lead.

East Carolina padded the lead from there. Norwood's one-out solo homer in the top of the seventh inning made it 5-3. In the eighth, Richardson reached on an infield single with one down, stole second, and scored on Trevor Lawhorn's single up the middle, giving East Carolina a 6-3 lead.

NC State will play a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series at Clemson this weekend. Game times are 7:15 p.m. on Friday, 7 p.m. on Saturday, and 2 p.m. on Sunday. All three games will be broadcast on WKNC-FM (88.1), and the broadcasts will be available no gopack.com through Yahoo's subscription service. Live in-game stats will be available on gopack.com through the Gametracker.