NC State Walks Off With A Win, 9-8

Sunday, April 24

Doak Field

1:00 PM

NC State

30-12, 0

Clemson

25-16, 0

Clemson

NC State

4/24/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

April 24, 2005

Final Stats

RALEIGH, N.C. - Aaron Cone's walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning gave NC State a 9-8 win over Clemson in the final game of a three-game Atlantic Conference series Sunday afternoon at Doak Field. The Wolfpack won the series over the Tigers, two games to one.

With the win, NC State improved to 30-12 overall and 11-10 in the conference. Clemson fell to 25-16 on the season and 12-6 in conference play.

Cone had three hits and four RBIs in the game, including a three-run homer in the fifth inning. Aaron Bates reached base four times on walks, scored all four times, and hit a solo home run.

Joey Devine (3-2), the last of four NC State pitchers, got charged with his first blown save of the season, but picked up the win thanks to Cone's big hit. Devine pitched one inning, striking out one batter and giving up one earned run on two hits. Stephen Farris (4-2) took the loss for the Tigers after pitching 2 1/3 innings and allowing three earned runs on five hits. He walked two and struck out two.

Bates started the scoring for the Wolfpack with a tape-measure home run over the 16-foot-high left-field wall with two outs in the bottom of the first inning.

Clemson answered with four runs in the top of the fourth. Brad Chalk singled and advanced to third on a fielder's choice and a throwing error. Chalk scored on a Tyler Colvin single. Kris Harvey followed with a three-run home run to left that brought Tyler Harbin and Colvin across the plate.

NC State cut the Clemson lead to 4-2 in the bottom of the fourth inning. Bates walked to lead off the inning and moved to third on Cone's single to right. Ryan Pond followed Cone with an RBI single up the middle that brought home Bates.

The Wolfpack rallied to take a 6-4 lead with four runs in the bottom of the fifth. Jonathan Diaz singled to left to start the rally. Diaz reached second on a Matt Camp single through the right side of the infield. Diaz and Camp advanced to second and third on a wild pitch, and Diaz scored on a sacrifice fly by Ramon Corona. Bates was intentional walked to get to Cone, who foiled the strategy with a three-run homer to left-center field.

The Tigers tied the game at 6-6 with two runs in the top of the sixth inning. Colvin started the inning with a double and scored after Harvey singled to left. Harvey came around to score on a triple to right field by Andy D'Alessio.

Clemson retook the lead with a run in the in the top of the seventh. Herman Demmick led off with a single up the middle, stole second and scored on Colvin's two out double to right field to give the Tigers a 7-6 lead.

Bates started an eighth-inning comeback for the Wolfpack with a leadoff walk. Bates moved to second when Cone was walked, then scored on Brian Aragon's RBI single, with Cone advancing to second on the play. The Wolfpack scored the go-ahead run when second baseman Taylor Harbin threw away the relay on a potential inning-ending double-play grounder. Cone scored from second on the play to make it 8-7, Wolfpack.

Colvin's third double of the game drove in Chalk, who had singled earlier in the inning, to tie the game at 8-8 in the top of the ninth.

The Wolfpack's winning rally started on Ramon Corona's one-out single to left. He went all the way to third on Bates' bloop single to shallow center field, then scored when Cone drilled Faris's first pitch off the wall in left for the game-winner.

NC State will return to action next weekend against Carolina at Doak Field. Game times are Friday at 7 pm., Saturday at 2 p.m., and Sunday at 1 p.m.