North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State Baseball Jumps No. 3 Virginia, 10-7
5/12/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
The win snapped a three-game ACC losing streak for the Wolfpack, which improved to 32-18 overall and 13-13 in the conference. The Cavaliers fell to 39-11 overall and 17-8 in the conference.
The game was a wild affair, with NC State scoring early and Virginia scoring late. Fortunately for the visitors, early beat late, especially with closer Eryk McConnell pitching 2 1/3 shutout innings in relief of starter Andrew Brackman and reliever Jimmy Gillheeney to stop the bleeding and earn his eighth save. McConnell allowed one hit and struck out one.
Virginia starter Matt Packer did not have it and took the loss to fall to 3-3. He lasted just 1 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on five hits. NC State jumped to a 2-0 lead on Packer in the top of the first. Poulk led off the game with a triple to the gap in right-center and scored on Ramon Corona’s fly ball to shallow right. Brandon Marsh made a terrific diving catch on the ball to turn it into a sacrifice fly and not a single, which saved Virginia a run. Caleb Mangum grounded out for the second out, but Ryan Pond singled up the middle, and Marcus Jones scorched a line drive to the exact same spot in right-center as Poulk for an RBI triple that chased home Pond for the second run of the inning.
Matt Payne sent a one-out singled up the middle in the top of the second, went to third on Tommy Foschi’s sacrifice bunt, and scored on Poulk’s single through the right side of the infield, giving the Wolfpack a 3-0 lead.
With reliever Andrew Carraway in the game for the Cavaliers, the Pack made it 5-0 in the top of the third on Pat Ferguson’s two-out pinch-hit home run, driving in Jones, who had singled.
Carraway did not last through the fourth inning. Payne led off with a single up the middle, and after Foschi was called out for batter’s interference on a steal attempt, Poulk walked and Corona singled to shallow center field. Payne scored on the play and Poulk went all the way to third. Mangum drove in Poulk to make it 7-0 with a sacrifice fly to center field, and after Corona stole second base, Pond walked to load the bases. Jones made it 8-0 with a single up the middle, driving Carraway from the game. Pat McAnaney came in to pitch for Virginia and after walking Ferguson to load the bases, retired Jeremy Synan on a fly ball to deep right field to end the inning.
The Cavaliers finally got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth. Jeremy Farrell led off and walked and Tyler Canon singled up the middle. Patrick Wingfield moved the runners to second and third with a bunt. Wingfield appeared to beat the throw to first but was instead called out. That prompted an argument from Virginia coach Brian O’Connor, who lost the argument and got ejected instead. Tim Henry hit the next pitch to center field for a two-run single. Brandon Marsh grounded out to advance Henry to second, and Sean Doolittle drove him in with a single to left, cutting NC State’s lead to 8-3.
David Adams led off the bottom of the fifth with a sharp single off the mound and up the middle. Brackman’s next pitch was a curveball that didn’t break and gave Beau Seabury a glancing blow off the side of his helmet, putting runners on first and second with none out. With Farrell attempting to bunt the runners over, Brackman unloaded a wild pitch to move the runners to second and third, still with none out. Brackman wound up hitting Farrell with a breaking ball on the 3-1 pitch to load the bases.
That was the end of the line for Brackman, who worked four-plus innings and allowed three runs on five hits. He walked five, struck out five, hit two batters and threw two wild pitches. Brackman did not figure in the decision. Gillheeney came in to pitch for the Wolfpack and immediately got Canon to ground into a double play, pitcher to catcher to first base, taking the steam out of the Virginia rally. He put the rally to rest by striking out Wingfield looking.
Pond led off the top of the sixth with a single over the third baseman, went to second on Jones’s bunt, and scored on Ferguson’s double to right-center.
The Cavaliers added two more in the bottom of the sixth when Marsh singled to right and Sean Doolittle belted a long two-run homer to right. That cut the lead to 9-5.
Poulk made it 10-5 in the top of the seventh after hitting a one-out triple and scoring on Corona’s sacrifice fly to left. The triple was Poulk’s fourth hit of the game, a new career high for the Wolfpack freshman.
A one-out walk to Farrell and singles by Wingfield and Henry in the bottom of the seventh loaded the bases with two out. Marsh and Doolittle worked Gillheeney for walks, each driving in a run and cutting the lead to three runs at 10-7. That brought Guyer to the plate, and Wolfpack coach Elliott Avent went to McConnell, who retired Guyer on a fly ball to deep right.
Gillheeney, who allowed four runs on four hits in 2 2/3 innings, nonetheless pulled the Wolfpack through the middle innings of the game and improved to 4-2. He walked four and struck out two.
NC State and Virginia will play the final game of this weekend’s series on Sunday. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.. The game will be broadcast live on WKNC, 88.1 FM, and will be available on-line on gopack.com through Pack Pass.
