North Carolina State University Athletics
Team Pack Rolls In Game Three, 7-1
10/12/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
It was Team Wolf that got on the scoreboard first, but without the benefit of a hit. Joe Florio led off the game and worked Grant Sasser for a walk, took second base on a wild pitch, and went to third when the throw from catcher Nate Cockman skipped into center field for an error. Nick Stanley’s fly ball to right field scored Florio with the game’s first run.
Team Pack’s pitching took control of the game from there. Sasser worked through the third inning, allowing just a one-out walk to Mike Gatlin in the second. Eric Surkamp worked a 1-2-3 fourth. Drew Taylor pitched the fifth and sixth, faced seven batters and allowed nothing. Wade Moore reached base on a two-out infield error in the fifth.
Team Pack took control of the game offensively in the bottom half of the inning. Poulk led off against starter Gary Gillheeney with a double to center field, and Jeremy Synan tied the game with an opposite-field double down the left-field line. Matt Payne singled through the right side of the infield to put runners on first and third with one down, and Pat Ferguson beat the relay on a potential double-play ball, forcing Payne at second but driving in Synan with the go-ahead run. Kyle Prewitt, who had a big game with two hits and three RBIs, made it 3-1 with a double to deep center field.
Devon Cartwright led off the bottom of the second for Team Pack with a double over the head of left fielder Ryan Pond, and scored moments later on Poulk’s single to left. After Poulk stole second and third, Gillheeney lost his command of the strike zone. He walked Payne and Pat Ferguson to load the bases with two down, then issued free passed to Kyle Prewitt and Cockman to force in a pair of runs. That gave Team Pack a 6-1 lead and sent Gary Gillheeney to the showers. Jimmy Gillheeney came on in relief of his younger brother and retired Cartwright on a popup to first base.
Jimmy Gillheeney pitched through the fourth inning without allowing a run, and Eryk McConnell pitched a 1-2-3 fifth. Prewitt stopped the string of zeroes on the scoreboard with a leadoff home run off of Clayton Shunick in the bottom of the sixth for Team Pack, increasing the lead to 7-1.
Nick Stanley broke up the no-hitter in the top of the seventh, slicing Vance Williams’ second pitch of the game into shallow left-center for a clean single. Williams also allowed a two-out double to Poulk.
The Wolfpack’s fall series will resume next weekend with games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, October 19-20-21.
