Wolfpack Rallies Past San Diego State, 9-4

Sunday, February 20

Doak Field

1:00 PM

NC State

7-1

San Diego State

2-8

San Diego State

NC State

2/20/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

Feb. 20, 2005

Box Score

RALEIGH, N.C. - Trailing 4-0 after five innings, NC State erupted for seven runs in the sixth inning and went on to defeat San Diego State 9-4 Sunday afternoon in the final game of the three-game series at Doak Field.

The Wolfpack, which swept the three-game series from the Aztecs, improved to 7-1 and extended its current winning streak to a season-best four games. San Diego State dropped to 2-8 with the loss. Adam McLaurin (1-0) picked up the win with three shutout innings in relief of starter Jeff Stallings. He walked one, struck out one and hit a batter, but allowed just one runner past first base. Aztecs starter Andres Esquivel (1-2) pitched brilliantly for five innings, but was unable to retire any of the six men he faced in the sixth inning and was tagged with the loss after allowing six runs on seven hits. He walked one and struck out one.

Jake Muyco concluded a big weekend for the Wolfpack with two hits and three RBIs. Muyco went 5-for-12 with a double and seven RBIs in the three-game series. Matt Devine, who also had a big series, went 1-for-3 and drove in two runs. Garrick Evans homered and drove in two runs for the Aztecs.

San Diego State got things started in the top of the second inning. Tim O'Brien led off with a sharply hit single that ticked past the glove of Jonathan Diaz at shortstop, and Jake McLintock doubled down the right-field line to put runners at second and third with none on. Evans rolled a grounder to shortstop to drive in O'Brien with the first run, and Clayton Carson singled up the middle to score McLintock and give the Aztecs a 2-0 lead.

Evans added his second RBI of the game with a two-out, opposite-field solo homer to right field, increasig the lead to 3-0. James Scott led off the top of the fifth and walked. James Guerrero flied out for the first out of the inning, but Quintin Berry's Baltimore-chop single to right field put runners at first and third. Lance Zawadzki grounded out to shortstop to drive in Scott and make it 4-0. Stallings avoided further damage by getting Brock Ungricht to bounce out to third.

While the Aztecs were building the early lead, Esquivel was mowing down one Wolfpack hitter after another. Matt Camp led off the game by hustling a bloop hit to right field into a double, and Aaron Cone reached on a two-out error by Esquivel that put runners on first and third. Esquivel retired the next 11 batters he faced before Brian Aragon legged out a double in the bottom of the fifth.

Esquivel got out of that inning with a pair of easy groundouts, but he finally hit the wall in the bottom of the sixth, suddenly and without warning. Camp led off by bouncing a single back over the mound and up the middle for a single. Bryan Kinneberg followed with a chop single over the shortstop, and Aaron Bates blooped a single to center field to load the bases with none out. Cone lined a single to right to move everyone up 90 feet and get the Wolfpack on the scoreboard, and Lee Mezistrano drew a walk to force in another run. Muyco singled to left, with everyone again moving up one base, to cut the San Diego State lead to 4-3 and send Esquivel to the showers.

Ben Coon replaced Esquivel on the mound, and Brian Aragon welcomed him to the game by driving the 2-1 pitch to right field for an RBI-single that tied the game at 4-4. Matt Devine then untied it with a two-run single to right, driving in Mezistrano and Muyco to make it 6-4 and leaving runners on the corners, still with none out. Jonathan Diaz laid down a squeeze bunt to get Aragon home with the seventh run of inning.

NC State concluded the scoring in the bottom of the seventh. Bates led off and bounced one off the first baseman's mitt for an error. Cone followed with a perfect double-play ball back to the pitcher, but reliever Shaun Burkle threw the ball into center field for an error and all hands were safe. Ryan Johnson grounded out to shortstop to advance the runners to second and third with one out, and Muyco drove them both in with a single to center field, making 9-4.