North Carolina State University Athletics
Red Team Rides Roskopf Slam To Even Fall Series
10/12/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Andrew Brackman, pitching in front of about a dozen pro scouts, started for the White team and pitched well, but took the loss thanks in part to a bout of wildness in the fourth inning. Brackman worked five innings and allowed three runs, one earned, on three hits. He walked one and struck out eight. He also hit a batter and threw three wild pitches. Joel Brookens worked a pair of innings and was charged with six runs, all unearned, on three hits and two walks. Brookens struck out three. Nate Karns, a true freshman righthander from Arlington, Texas, allowed a run on one hit in one inning of work.
The win went to reliever Clayton Shunick, who ironically was the least effective pitcher for the Red team. He worked one inning and allowed two runs on four hits. He struck out one and did not allow a walk. Eryk McConnell started for the Red team and threw three scoreless innings, allowing two hits and no walks while striking out five. Andrew Taylor worked two excellent innings, allowing only a ground-ball single through the right side of the infield. Taylor fanned one and did not issue a walk. Adam McLaurin pitched two perfect innings, then Kyle Rutter finished it off, allowing two runs, one earned, in an inning of work.
Roskopf was the leading run-producer, going 2-for-4 with four RBIs. Freshman infielder Dallas Poulk went 2-for-4 and drove in two runs, as did freshman outfielder Wade Moore. Chris Engle also had two hits in four at-bats.
The White team jumped to a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth. Engle and Kenny Ford got things started with two-out singles to center field to put runners on the corners. Moore beat out an infield single to drive in Engle, and Nate Cockman singled to center to score Ford.
The Red team came back with three runs, two of them unearned, in the bottom of the fourth, thanks to some shaky defense and uncharacteristic wildness on the part of Brackman, who threw three wild pitches in the inning. Ryan Pond led the inning off with a single past third base and went to second on a wild pitch. Roskopf beat out a bunt single that sent Pond to third. Pond scored on the play when the throw to first was wide of the bag for an error. Roskopf took second when Cockman dropped the throw back to home plate for another error. Roskopf went to third on a wild pitch, then scored when strike three to Matt Payne got past Cockman for a wild pitch that allowed Payne to reach first base. Payne went to second on a groundout by Jason Rago, then scored from second on Poulk’s double to left-center.
The Red team blew the game wide open with six runs in the bottom of the seventh. Bill Edwards reached on a one-out error. Edwards took second on Poulk’s bunt attempt, stole third, and then scored when Drew Martin beat out a squeeze bunt for a single. Brookens unloaded a pair of wild pitches to advance Martin to third base, and Tommy Foschi worked of Brookens for a walk. Caleb Mangum singled home Martin, and Pond walked to load the bases. Roskopf unloaded them with a grand-slam homer off the top of the wall in left field, expanding the lead to 9-2.
Karns walked Payne leading off the bottom of the eighth, then hit Edwards with a pitch to put runners on first and second with none out. Payne went to third on a wild pitch and scored on Poulk’s single to left, making the score 10-2.
Engle led off the top of the ninth for the White team and reached on an infield single. Ford singled to right, and Engle went all the way to third when Payne overran the ball in right for an error. Moore beat out a squeeze bunt for an RBI single that scored Engle and cut the lead to 10-3. Ford took third on a double-play grounder off the bat of Cockman, and scored when Ramon Corona beat out an infield single.
Game three of the series will be Friday at 4 p.m. Jeff Stallings will pitch for the White team and will be opposed by Eric Surkamp for the Red.
