North Carolina State University Athletics
Western Carolina Slips Past Baseball, 6-5
3/2/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
GREENVILLE, N.C. Western Carolina got a strong outing from starter Tyler Sexton (3-0) and the Catamounts (6-2) used a three-run fifth inning to break open a tie game in a 6-5 triumph over No. 20 NC State (9-2) at the Fourth Annual Keith LeClair Classic. The Wolfpack pulled within a run with a two-out rally in the eighth but it was too little, too late. Clayton Shunick (0-1) took the loss in relief as NC State starter Jeff Stallings lasted just 3 1/3 innings.
Stallings allowed three runs on six hits while walking one and fanning one in the shortest start of his career. Shunick (0-1) relieved Stallings in the fourth and gave up four walks in 1 1/3 innings pitched, including three free passes in the decisive three-run, fifth inning for Western Carolina.
Sexton went 6 1/3 innings and allowed five hits, three runs (two earned) and five walks while fanning seven batters for the Catamounts. Greg Holland picked up his second save of the season for WCU, tossing the final 1 1/3 inning and allowing just one hit.
The Catamounts jumped on the scoreboard in the second inning as the first three batters notched hits to start the inning. Steven Strausbaugh doubled down the left field line and Blake Murphy followed with a RBI double of his own to plate Strausbaugh. Nick Liles then singled to right center to move Murphy to third, and John Ingram drove in Murphy with a sacrifice fly to right for a 2-0 lead.
Western Carolina pushed its lead to 3-0 in the third on a solo home run from Barrett Shaft to right field to lead off the inning.
Meanwhile, the Pack offense sputtered and didn’t notch a hit until the fourth inning, when Ryan Pond led off with a single to right center. Pond moved to second on a groundout and reached third on a failed pickoff attempt with two outs. Sexton stood strong and struck out Ryan Howard to end the threat.
The Wolfpack rallied to put three runs across in the top of the fifth after loading the bases with one out. Marcus Jones and Tommy Foschi singled in back-to-back at bats and Vince Gutierrez walked to load them up.
Corona, who was hitless in the previous two games for just the third time in his career, knocked a two-run double off the left field wall. Gutierrez would score with two outs on a passed ball to knot the score at 3-3 later in the inning.
WCU wasted little time in retaking the lead, scoring three runs on just one hit in the bottom half of the fifth. With one down, Strausbaugh reached on an error before Shunick walked a pair of Catamounts to load the bases. Kenny Smith singled through the right side to drive in a pair of runs for a 5-3 advantage. Ingram followed with his second sacrifice fly of the contest and a 6-3 lead.
NC State rallied with two outs in the eighth to trim the deficit to a single run. Pinch hitter Matt Payne flew out and Caleb Mangum struck out to start the inning before the Wolfpack bench stepped up in a big way.
Ryan Howard walked on a full count and Dallas Poulk came in to pinch run at first. Nate Cockman followed with a pinch-hit single to left and Wade Moore ran for Cockman. Joe Florio came off the bench as well and sliced a RBI single to left to score Poulk from second. Moore and Florio moved up a bag on a wild pitch, and Pat Ferguson drew a pinch-hit walk to load the bases. Gutierrez drove in a run in the next at-bat by drawing a walk to trim the lead to 6-5, but Corona grounded into a fielder’s choice to end the inning.
NC State returns to the field on Saturday, March 3 at 3 pm as it takes on tournament host East Carolina at Clark-LeClair Stadium.
