Virginia Tech Salvages Finale Against NC State, 5-4

Sunday, April 3

Doak Field

1:00 PM

NC State

21-9, 0

Virginia Tech

9-11, 0

Virginia Tech

NC State

Joey Devine pitched well for the Wolfpack on Sunday but took a 5-4 loss on an unearned run in the 12th inning.

Virginia Tech Salvages Finale Against NC State, 5-4

4/3/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

April 3, 2005

Final Stats

RALEIGH, N.C. - Chris Stanton's sacrifice fly scored Nate Parks with the winning run in the top of the 12th inning as Virginia Tech defeated NC State 5-4 in the finale of a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference baseball series. Tech, which salvaged the final game of the series, improved to 9-11 overall and 2-9 in the ACC. The Wolfpack, looking to even its conference record after falling three games under .500, fell to 21-9 overall and 5-7 in the league.

Virginia Tech reliever Jake Chaney (3-1) got the win for the Hokies with 4 2/3 innings of one-hit relief. He walked four and struck out two, but did not allow a run. Relief ace Joey Devine (2-2) pitched well for the Wolfpack, but was tagged with the loss after allowing one run, unearned, on three hits in five innings. He struck out four and did not allow a walk.

Stanton and Sheldon Adams led the Tech offense with two hits and an RBI each. Matt Devine went 2-for-6 with an RBI for the Wolfpack, and Ryan Pond wemt 1-for-3 with two walks and two RBIs.

The Hokies broke on top in the top of the third. Nate Parks led off and reached on an error and went to second on Stanton's sacrifice bunt. Adams tripled to right field to drive in Parks, and scored on Matt Hacker's grounder to second base.

The Wolfpack took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fourth. Aaron Bates and Brian Aragon drew one-out walks, and Jake Muyco singled to center field to load the bases with one away. Pond singled up the middle to drive in Bates and Aragon, and Ramon Corona singled to center to score Muyco with the go-ahead run.

The Hokies went back in front with two more in the top of the sixth. Hacker singled up the middle with one down, and Marn doubled to right-center to put runners on second and third. Matt Foley grounded out to score Hacker and send Marn to third, and Marn scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch.

NC State tied the game at 4-4 with a run in the bottom of the eighth. Jonathan Diaz drew a leadoff walk and took second on a wild pitch. Ryan Johnson grounded to second base to advance Diaz to third, and Matt Devine drove the run in with a single to shallow center field.

Tom Blaszak got the winning rally started for Virginia Tech with a leadoff double to left-center. Parks tried to bunt Blaszak to third, but Joey Devine jumped on the ball and got the lead runner at third base. Devine then negated the great fielding play by throwing away a pickoff attempt at first base, allowing Blaszak to advance all the way to third. Blaszak was safe at home on Blazsak;s fly ball to right, a play the Wolfpack argued, but to no avail.

Chaney gave up a walk and a single in the bottom of the 12th, but got out of the inning without allowing the potential tying run past second base.

NC State will return to action on Wednesday evening at Doak Field against East Carolina. Game time is 7 o'clock. The game will be broadcast live on WKNC-FM (88.1) and will be available on the internet on gopack.com through Yahoo's subscription service. Live in-game stats will be available on gopack.com through the Gametracker.