North Carolina State University Athletics
Red Team Makes It Three Games To None, 6-5
10/23/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Oct. 23, 2005
RALEIGH, N.C. - After scoring four unearned runs in a sloppy, error-filled game on Saturday night, the Red team came back to Doak Field on Sunday and scored six more unearned runs, its entire offensive output, to defeat the White team 6-5 and take a three games to none lead in the Wolfpack's fall intrasquad world series.
The White team committed five errors for the second game in a row to hand the Red team the best-of-5 series. A decision on whether to play a fourth and possibly a fifth game will be made on Monday. If there is a fourth game, it will be played Tuesday.
Joel Brookens, who blew a save by allowing two runs in the top of the seventh, picked up the win when his teammates scored an unearned run - what else - off loser Wylie Jones and reliever Sam Walls in the bottom of the seventh. Brookens allowed three hits, walked one and struck out two. Jones, who faced just two hitters, gave up a run on one hit in one-third of an inning.
Aaron Bates went 2-for-3 with a stolen base and an RBI to lead the Red team, and is 4-for-8 with a double and two RBIs in the series. Matt Mangini went 1-for-2 with a stolen base, and is 5-for-9 with a double and an RBI for the series. Jeremy Synan and Ramon Corona each went 2-for-3 for the White team. Synan is 3-for-7 with a double and an RBI in the series, and Corona is 3-for-10 with two RBIs.
The Red team broke on top with a run in the bottom of the first inning. Bates stroked a line single to center field, and Jon Still was safe on a grounder to second when Corona's throw to first base was in the dirt and got past Brian Aragon for an error. Bates scored on the play to make it 1-0.
The White team bounced back to take the lead with a pair of unearned runs in the top of the second. The inning started when second baseman Drew Martin committed two errors on a grounder by Aaron Cone, bobbling the ball to allow Cone to reach base safely, then throwing the ball past first to allow Cone to advance to second. Starting pitcher Matt Payne hit Caleb Mangum with a pitch, and the runners advanced to second and third on a groundout by Synan. Jason Rago's sacrifice fly drove in Cone with the tying run, and Chris Engle's single up the middle drove in Mangum with the go-ahead run.
Mangum led off the top of the fourth with a single to right and took third when Synan chopped a single over first base and down the right-field line. Rago bounced into a double play to score the run and give the White team a 3-1 lead.
The Red team began its comeback in the bottom of the fourth. With one down, Still reached on an error by Corona, and Mangini was hit by a pitch. The runners pulled off a double steal to put runners on second and third with one out. Payne's grounder to shortstop drove in Still to trim the lead to a single run at 3-2.
Reggie Dixon led off the bottom of the fifth and reached on an error by Synan at third base. Reliever Alan Letchworth, working on a knuckleball, hit Drew Martin with a pitch. Matt Camp bunted the runners to second and third. Marcus Jones walked to load the bases. Bates singled to left to drive in Dixon and tie the score at 3-3, and Still's ground ball to third base drove in Martin with the go-ahead run, giving the Red team a 4-3 lead.
Payne led off the bottom of the sixth and singled to center field. Bobby Hubbard sacrificed the runner to second, and after Dixon walked to put runners on first and second, Payne scored all the way from second base when Corona threw away the relay on a possible double-play grounder, giving the Red team a 5-3 lead.
Synan led off the top of the seventh and singled up the middle. With one out, Brookens walked Engle, and Jonathan Diaz singled to right to load the bases. Corona's fly ball to deep right drove in Synan to cut the lead to 5-4. Engle took third on the play and scored on Aragon's sharply hit single to center field, knotting the score at 5-5.
Marcus Jones led off the bottom of the seventh with an infield single off of Wylie Jones. Reliever Sam Walls' first pitch to Bates bounced to the backstop, allowing Jones to take second base. Walls went ahead and intentionally walked Bates, and then threw away Still's sacrifice attempt, allowing Jones to score the winning run from second base.
