North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State
1-0
Delaware State
0-1
NC State Wallops Delaware State 21-3
2/3/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 3, 2006
RALEIGH, N.C. - Alex Rodriguez threw out the first pitch, and NC State marked the occasion with an A-Rod-like hitting performance, thrashing Delaware State 21-3 at Doak Field in the season opener for both teams.
Rodriguez made a surprise appearance at the Doak to throw out the first pitch and spend the weekend with Wolfpack second baseman Ramon Corona and family, his across-the-street neighbors. Rodriguez will be back at the Doak for Saturday's game, which will be at 2 p.m. Corona responded to Rodriguez's presence with three hits and three RBIs, but the entire Wolfpack lineup came to hit, bashing out 16 hits, including seven for extra bases.
Junior righthander Gib Hobson (1-0) was the beneficiary of all the offense. He allowed three runs on six hits in five solid innings, four of which were scoreless. He walked three and struck out three. Delaware State starter Dan Perkins (0-1), the first of five pitchers for the Hornets, took the loss after allowing six runs, all earned, on five hits in two-plus innings of work.
In addition to Corona, Brian Aragon had three doubles and drove in four runs, and Matt Mangini went 3-for-4 with an RBI. Aaron Bates had a pair of hits, including a double, and drove in two. Jon Still had just one hit in five at-bats, but had four RBIs. Brandon Graveley led Delaware State with three hits in four at-bats. Tyler Hostetter and C.J. Acker had two hits apiece.
The Wolfpack got the scoring started in the bottom of the first inning, helped by wildness on the part of Hornets starter Dan Perkins. Matt Camp led off with a walk and went to third when Corona doubled down the left-field line. Bates drew a walk to load the bases, and the first run scored on Still's double-play grounder to third. Aragon followed with a walk, and Perkins plunked Ryan Pond in the left shoulder to load the bases for the second time in the inning. Perkins walked Mangini to force in Bates with the second run of the inning.
Jonathan Diaz led off the bottom of the second with a walk and promptly stole second. With one down, Corona blooped a single to right to chase Diaz across the plate, and Bates boomed a double off the wall in right-center, with Corona scoring from first on the play. Aragon's double down the right-field line scored Bates to give the Wolfpack a 5-0 lead.
NC State blew open the game in the bottom of the third. Mangini led off with a first-pitch single to left and stole second. Caleb Mangum followed with a walk, driving Perkins to an early shower. Chase Kornemann came in to face Diaz, who bunted the runners to second and third. Camp drove in Mangini with a grounder to shortstop. Corona walked, and Kornemann walked Bates intentionally to load the bases for the fourth time in three innings. Still singled to right field to drive in two runs, and Aragon doubled to the wall in left-center to drive in two more to make it 10-0. Pond's single to center scored Aragon with the Wolfpack's sixth run of the inning and its 11th of the game.
The Hornets finally got on the scoreboard in the top of the fourth. Graveley led off with a single up the middle and Randy Boyer singled to left. Joe Danks drew a walk to load the bases, and Justin Bittner walked with one out to force in a run. Jon Ricketts bounced a single up the middle to drive in Boyer and Danks to cut the lead to 11-3.
Diaz led off the bottom of the fourth off reliever Matt Carey and smoked a single to left, then stole second base. Camp's single moved Diaz to third, and Corona drove him home with a sacrifice fly to right to push the lead to 12-3.
Aragon hit his third double of the game, a one-out drive to right-center and went to third on Mangini's infield single. Carey then hit Mangum to load the bases and Diaz to drive in Aragon, giving the Pack a 13-3 lead.
Corona led off the bottom of the sixth and reached on an error. Bates singled to center, and Corona went to third on Still's fly ball to center field. Aragon hit into a force play for the second out of the inning, scoring Corona but erasing Bates at second base. That made it 14-3, and it also opened the floodgates. Matt Payne, who entered the game in the top of the inning as a defensive replacement in left field, made it 16-3 with a two-run homer to left on the first pitch of the first at-bat of his college career. Payne, who is primarily a pitcher for the Pack, did not have a time at bat as a freshman in 2005.
Mangini singled to left to keep the inning going, and Mangum doubled to left to put runners on second and third. Diaz walked to load the bases and Camp walked to force in yet another run and make it 17-3. Corona walked to make it 18-3, and that was all for Carey. Sidewinder Mike Ingram came in and plunked Bates and Still to drive in two more runs, making it 20-3.
Marcus Jones, in the game replacing Camp, led off the bottom of the eighth and walked. Corona singled to left and Bates flied to right to send Jones to third. Still's sacrifice fly to right field drove in Jones to make it 21-3.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Hobson, Gib (1-0)
L: Dan Perkins (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Brandon Hostettler 1
RBI: Jon Ricketts 2 ; Justin Bittner 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Brandon Gravely 1 ; Randy Boyer 1 ; Joe Danks 1
HBP: C.J. Acker 1
Batting:
2B: Corona , Ramon 1 ; Bates, Aaron 1 ; Aragon, Brian 3 ; Mangum, Caleb 1
HR: Payne, Matt 1
RBI: Camp, Matt 2 ; Corona , Ramon 3 ; Bates, Aaron 2 ; Still, Jon 4 ; Aragon, Brian 4 ; Pond, Ryan 1 ; Payne, Matt 2 ; Mangini, Matt 1 ; Diaz, Jonathan 1
SH: Diaz, Jonathan 1
SF: Corona , Ramon 1 ; Still, Jon 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Camp, Matt 1 ; Jones , Marcus 2 ; Corona , Ramon 3 ; Bates, Aaron 3 ; Still, Jon 1 ; Aragon, Brian 3 ; Payne, Matt 1 ; Mangini, Matt 2 ; Mangum, Caleb 2 ; Diaz, Jonathan 3
SB: Mangini, Matt 1 ; Diaz, Jonathan 2
HBP: Bates, Aaron 1 ; Still, Jon 1 ; Pond, Ryan 1 ; Mangum, Caleb 1 ; Diaz, Jonathan 1
